Flavio Roda Highlights the Federation’s Achievements

At the FISI Media Day held Friday in Milan, Federation President Flavio Roda addressed various issues related to the Italian winter sports community, ranging from challenges posed by weather conditions to the Federation’s ability to continue achieving top-level results in numerous disciplines.

“This isn’t the easiest time to navigate, because we already faced some snowmaking challenges over the summer,” he began. “We are well aware of the condition of our glaciers and what’s happening. All of this certainly underscores the need to be able to rise to the challenge. The athletes know what their goal is, and the Federation must ensure it supports them, providing them with every possible tool so they can perform at their best.”

The Federation president then addressed the challenge of replicating the results achieved in recent seasons—an inevitably central issue for a national team that has racked up significant successes in recent years: “Repeating that success won’t be easy; that much is certain. In sports, maintaining success is never easy. When results of a certain caliber are achieved, the pressure increases and so does the attention focused on the athletes and the sport.”

But it was especially in the second part of his remarks that Roda sought to highlight the Federation’s work, emphasizing that the results achieved are not tied exclusively to a few big names: “The most important thing is what has happened in recent years. We’re fortunate to have great talent and great athletes, but what’s truly interesting is that medals and significant results have come from so many different disciplines. This is perhaps the aspect that makes the work we’ve done most rewarding.”

“We’ve tried to develop the entire system,” President Roda explained further. “When you’re able to achieve results in so many different disciplines, it means the work has been thorough. It’s a source of satisfaction that goes beyond individual success because it demonstrates the overall growth of the movement.”