Malcesine Sailing Hub Supports Italian Olympic Team Before Sydney
Malcesine, like Sydney and Navene, where the local Fraglia Vela nautical base is located, is bustling with activity and crowded with feverish energy, similar to Rushcutters Bay, the sailing headquarters for the upcoming Olympic Games. The comparison is not unfounded.
Throughout the summer in the upper Garda region of Verona, considered one of the best regatta courses in the world, hundreds of foreign sailors who will participate in the Olympics have crossed paths, along with the entire Italian national team, which trained under the Scaliger Castle until a few days ago before departing for Sydney.
The Azzurri team and preparatory activities
It is the first time, on the eve of the Games, that the Italian team, led by Fiv president Sergio Gaibisso and technical commissioner Valentin Mankin, has gathered all together. “Before the Atlanta Olympics, the crews of the different classes trained separately,” explains Federica Salvà, the champion from Castelletto di Brenzone, who will defend Italy’s colors in Sydney aboard the 4.70 crew with Emanuela Sossi.
“Here instead, on land, we live communally, but the trainings are personalized. It’s an stimulating approach that also helps build team spirit. We are preparing with the male 4.70 crew formed by brothers Matteo and Francesco Ivaldi.”
The classes and competitions
“We have also been given the opportunity to invite foreign crews,” echoes Luna Devoti, the Verona-born champion who in September will participate in her second Olympics with the Finn. “This is essential for classes like the Finn, which is exclusively male, or for Europe, where only women compete. This allows for meaningful comparison and benchmarking.”
“Every day we engage in exhausting duels with Jochen Schumann of Germany, who is the number one in the world in match racing rankings, and with the very talented Philippe Presti and Paolo Cian,” recounts Nicola Celon, who is crew with Daniele De Luca and Michele Paoletti on the Soling. “In the evenings, we analyze everything with our coaches. In Sydney, we will face very experienced and talented opponents, so we cannot afford to leave anything to chance.”
Welcoming and support from Fraglia
“The hospitality offered by Fraglia di Malcesine is touching,” emphasizes Daniele “Dede” De Luca, who has earned the nickname Barrichello due to his resemblance to the Ferrari driver. “The technical support both on water and on land is excellent. But not only that, here, all athletes feel at home as if they were part of a family.”
Besides the already mentioned Azzurri sailors, the volunteers of Fraglia have also “adopted” the Tuscan windsurfing “Empress,” Alessandra Sensini, the brothers volanti Francesco and Gabriele Bruni (49Er), the Triestine Larissa Nieverov (Europe), the Ligurian Diego Negri (Laser), the acrobat Lorenzo Giuliani and Marco Bodini (Tornado), and the Sicilian Riccardo Giordano (windsurf Mistral).
Future projects and improved services
In a few months, however, the thousands of sailors from around the world who frequent Malcesine will be able to enjoy even more efficient services: “By the end of this year, once permits and concessions are formalized, we will have a good number of boat slips, created through the installation of floating docks with minimal environmental impact,” explains the president of Fraglia Vela Malcesine, Testa.
“Another goal is to build the new nautical headquarters, which will be dedicated to the memory of Simone Lombardi, a very young member who passed away prematurely. Then finally, tents and containers can give way to a modern building equipped with all comforts. This new facility will also bring significant benefits to the local tourism economy, year-round and not just in summer, and is viewed favorably by hoteliers and merchants.”
Luca Belligoli
