ROME – “The Olympic Games would go ahead in Rome even with Virginia Raggi as mayor” Giovanni Malago, president of CONI  (the Italian National Olympic Committee), has said. With 77 percent of Romans in favour of the games being held in the capital, this is welcome news to many voters, political reports have said.

The words of Malago have put to rest speculations that the question surrounding the possibility of the city hosting the Olympic Games in 2024 was being used as “a decisive tool in the mayoral election campaign”, with PD candidate Giachetti, allegedly playing on the citizens in favour of hosting the 2024 Games in Rome to win him votes, having tactically raised it as a question prior to the ballot.

Those in favour of the hosting of the Games in Rome in eight years time, see it as a unique opportunity to channel a significant number of resources into the capital via private and public funds, in a relatively short space of time. However those against, argue that the historic debt of around 12 billion euros and current finances that can’t seem to cover even the most essential services within the city (the unfinished metro line C comes to mind), render this Olympic dream disastrous. The dossier presented by the 2024 Rome Committee, predicts a spending of 5.3 billion euros to cover the construction of infrastructure, 3.2 billion of which they are confident would be covered by the CIO (International Olympic Committee). The 1.9 billion euros unaccounted for would come from a collection of different committees, the document states, but for those not in favour, this leaves too wide a scope for error.

Malago has reassured the public that Raggi has been “accommodating” with regards to talks on the proposals to hold the Olympic Games in the capital. He did add that, “if there is a mayor who is not in favour of holding the Games in the city, then it is clear that the candidacy will not be able to go ahead”. However he equally underlined that it is the welfare and progress of the city that is of the “upmost importance”, and reminded voters that this should not be jeopardised because of the “speculation of an event that would take place in eight years time”.

 It is hoped that following these steadying words from Malago, that voters will not be swayed by tactical political play when deciding the future path for the capital.

DT