The Italian flag, after the Olympics and Paralympics, returned to the Quirinale. It was the day of the return of the Tricolor to the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, by the athletes who participated in the Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Mattarella welcomed the athletes and congratulated them on the results obtained.
"You have honored our flag with your commitment and with your results. The result is 17 Olympic and 6 Paralympic medals. A really good result."President Mattarella then admitted that"every morning I looked at the column of the medal complex which gives an idea of the amount of talent".
War on the opposite of the spirit of the Olympics
As was to be expected, there was no lack of a passage on the war in Ukraine. These are the words of the President of the Republic: "The aggression of Russia to Ukraine, war is the opposite of the Olympic and Paralympic spirit, of the meeting of peace between all that they represent". Then Mattarella continued: "We have to thank especially Paralympic athletes who were able to preserve the spirit in that difficult climate full of anxieties and anguish that had arisen. In spite of everything, you continued practicing mutual respect, stressing values such as peace, democracy, and collaboration".
At the end of the event, the President of the Republic presented all the athletes of Italy with a commemorative medal of the day. Then it was the moment of Michela Moioli (Standard bearer of the Olympic team) and Giacomo Bertagnolli (Standard bearer of the Paralympic team). The two athletes have returned the national flags to the Head of State with the signatures of the Olympic and Paralympic medal-winning athletes. A beautiful day in the name of sport.
Photo sources: Italian Paralympic Committee
