Competition behind closed doors, sports in Palermo a missed opportunity | Blog

• Lane Cup group matches behind closed doors at the Olympic pool
• At the end of September, the audience did not participate in the Fisdir regional tournament at Schifani delle Palme
• The velodrome has been on the high seas and without a bike path for 8 years
• Federciclismo’s regional president: “This is how the national team lost but also the social function”

Exercising in Palermo hasn’t always been easy. Definitely not a healthy outing. The state of facilities and related bureaucracy to be able to access and carry out competitive activities and to host regional, national or international events or matches appears to be a truly insurmountable obstacle. With many sacrifices from sports clubs and associations.

For a while, the phrase “happened behind closed doors” seemed to hold true. And not just because of Covid.

Telimar hosts the Len Cup behind closed doors

In the whitewashed island of Sicily, Palermo hosts a group of important international water polo competitions, the European Lane Cup. Participating in a group with three other foreign teams, Telimar has already played and won the first match with Strasbourg behind him. Closed doors. Without an audience also the match between Sabac and Zuglo.

An idiot at the international level for Palermo because the Municipal Sports Department and the Municipal Committee did not give permission to give approval for the reduced capacity and use of the 490 seats in the municipal pool.

Until October 10, these four teams will compete for two places to reach the quarter-finals of the competition similar to the European Football League.

Imagine if football in Palermo were to play home matches in the Europa League in Barbera without an audience. We imagine the amazement of the other clubs who, after arriving at the Viale del Fante facility, learned that their matches would be played without an audience.

President Gilberty “A real disaster!”

Cold rain arrived on the eve of the first matches, and President Marcelo Gilberti commented: “We are forced to play the first home game in our sporting history in Europe without our fans. A real disaster! Although I urged the municipal sports office, first in July, to continue in August, And finally twice in September, to make them aware of the great honor of honoring these deadlines for these high-level commitments, the request for temporary access has been sent to the relevant municipal committee only on Monday 4 October.”

And the first manager of Al Dora Club continued: “I realize that we are not aware of the extraordinary sacrifices made by a historical club like ours, nor do we pay due attention to the problems we face every day, taking into account this ease of use. Above all, I consider it a great disrespect for the club with all its components, the president Managers, coaches and athletes.”

“Inappropriate approach by the municipal sports office”

Yesterday, after the success he achieved against Strasbourg, Marcelo Gillibert stressed that the rest of the matches of the second stage will be held without an audience, and he stressed: “The historic European debut at home with Telemar and for the city of Palermo deservedly played. The victory at the end of the match played wisely. We wanted to Seeing our enthusiastic fans cheering in the stands, but the inappropriate approach to solving the problem by the Palermo Municipal Sports Office decided that we will play this entire second round behind closed doors, even in the next two crucial matches in which the audience can be the extra man in the pelvis.”

A few hours before, the Fisdir Regional Swimming Championships to be held on October 16 at the Viale del Fante facility will also take place behind closed doors.

A few days ago, the Fiesder Regional Championship was held behind closed doors

But not only is there high-level water polo, a sport that also sees the national team world champion in office and two Sicilian teams playing in the First Division and in the European Cups, but the Fisdir Regional Athletics Championships was a real freeze and a special shower.

At the end of September, at the same Chivani delle Palm which hosted the week before the Silver Club Championship final and brought 500 national and international athletes to Palermo (read Massimo Stano, Olympic champion in 20 km in Tokyo), the tournament organized by the Italian Paralympic Sports Federation of Relational Thinkers saw their competitions behind closed doors.

The company is considering relocating Italians assigned to Palermo to another location

A shocking disappointment and the organizing company considering bringing the 2022 Italian Championship, already set in Palermo, to another city.

Here it becomes clear that it is not only about sports but also about social activities with activities carried out by disabled children who have the right to enjoy the same audience as everyone else. And because if such activity is seen, it can serve as an impetus for other initiatives to engage more and more young people.

There is no racetrack, no citizen

The situation of the velodrome is known to all and thanks to the live broadcast broadcast by BlogSicilia, it was possible to assess another unfortunate situation. There hasn’t been a bike race in 8 years, most recently a regional meeting that included races for all youth classes up to the elite, the pro waiting room.

Then the bike paths closed. The words of Regional Cycling Federation President Diego Gardo are endearing “The works were going so well that we had already marked the colors of the main track another two meters wide with no dedicated ramp for the rest of the squad for the rackets they use to warm up which could be used in both the kids’ and skating competitions.”

Then “the racetrack should have been ready in May 2020 – continues Guardo – so much so that already with the Italian Federation it was also decided to bring the national team to the opening. I asked Nabali, but then-President De Rocco told me that he would lead the national team with Jenna in the lead.”

If the factory is active, the citizen will prepare it in Sicily

Diego Guardo continues: “But there is more, the current president Cordiano D’Anone told us that once the racetrack is ready, the national team will cancel the withdrawal abroad to come every year to prepare in Palermo during the year. The climate allows this.”

But it’s also lost on the social side

There is also the social aspect that is withheld. “The Regional Cycling Federation – Guardì notes – has had an agreement in place since the beginning of the nineties: in exchange for the use of the track and the offices of the Velodrome, we are implementing a project for schools in the danger zones Zen. From February to May we give lessons to schoolchildren and children. It is a social project.”

“We are ready for any initiative”

He concludes, “We are ready for any initiative as long as the factory is running. Social activity, cycling school. And other federations are also coming in because the more sports we have, the more effective the system will be. By splitting the time slots we can all work well and not just on on the athletic level, but also on the social level.”

Needless to mention the poor ending of Palazzetto dello Sport (which, prior to hosting the concerts, was the home of Iveco Palermo for nearly two decades, in the men’s first division volleyball league) and the consequences of not having a facility of this size. It is impossible to attract potential major projects but also different national teams: volleyball, basketball, futsal, etc.

A diamond that no longer shines

The baseball diamond, designed for the 1997 Collegiate Games, saw an antique inauguration in the presence of Lisa Minnelli. Then, the following year, Palermo hosted the World Cup matches and saw the presence of the US national team marching on the field. A good 21 matches were played at the World Championships in Palermo in a group that also included Canada, the Netherlands, Australia and South Korea (which will be on its way to the final).

That 33rd edition was historic: the United States were eliminated from the games that counted and won the Cuban masters.

Destiny looked bright with Al Ittihad because he was also going to achieve a position for the national team that won the World Cup Finals with their best result (4th place). But the decline has begun.

And from World Championship glory, he moved to Serie C and Serie C with Uesip Ziza Palermo and Palermo Baseball. In 2010, there was an agreement between the Catania Warriors and the municipality to play matches at the Etna team’s grounds. It didn’t last long. Then in 2012, the Cardinals played some American football games.

Since 2013, everything has been muted to the utter deterioration and oblivion of diamonds that seemed shiny but now, for indulgence, look like a lump of coal. Another cathedral in the desert tells of countless missed opportunities. And not just at the athletic level.

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