Italy legislates urgently to avoid banning the Olympics

The Italian government adopted in extremis on Tuesday January 26 a decree guaranteeing the autonomy of the Italian Olympic Committee (Coni), on the eve of a meeting of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) where possible sanctions against the country must be discussed. , which can go as far as exclusion from the Olympic Games. Italy has been in the sights of the IOC for two years, which has repeatedly warned Rome of the risks of government interference in the management of Cuneo. The possible sanctions can go as far as the suspension of the Italian committee as well as the exclusion of the country from the Olympic Games, and therefore the obligation for Azzurri athletes to compete under a neutral flag and without their anthem. The origin of the dispute dates back to the end of 2018 when the agency managing the employees and resources, in particular financial, of Coni, had become a body directly dependent on the government. Until then, this agency was managed directly by the Italian Olympic Committee.