Italiano
The three-days Heads of Delegation Meeting (HoD) ended at the Stazione Marittima in Naples, with the heads of the sports delegations coming from 59 countries of the 124 ones participating in the 30th Summer Universiade Napoli 2019. The main goal was to offer a better comprehension of the state of preparations for the July event, with visits to the Campania venues which are about to be modernized and to the accommodations that will host the delegations. “This morning – says the extraordinary commissioner Gianluca Basile – we have had an important moment of evaluation with the delegates of the work done. Many questions have been accurately answered. The budget is very positive. The delegates all highlighted the warm welcome received in the Campania tours. Many of them requested to increase the official number of their own delegation. In this case we have offered the ‘extra-officials’, who would come at their own expense, the possibility to enter the competition venues and the Athlethes Village. A sold out is predictable in many Campania hotels”.
Today, meanwhile, it was also the team draws day for the women’s and men’s tournaments: Football, water polo, basketball, rugby, volleyball. The Universiade Napoli 2019 will also be proud to have the Italy men’s national volleyball team. At the beginning, the Italian representative was not registered in the 16 team tournament. The extension of the board, from 16 to 20 teams, made it possible to regain the participation of the Azzurri. The Italy national team has been included in pool D with Japan, Argentina, Switzerland and Mexico. The draw was carried out by the former Treviso player Giacomo Giretto. Switzerland, the USA and Japan will instead be the rival teams of the women’s Italvolley in pool 4. The player Martina Ferrara was the sponsor of the draw.
In rugby seven, Italy, which will be present in both the men’s and women’s tournaments, will face the French, Canadians and Japanese in pool B. In the women’s tournament, pool A, the challenges will be with France, Canada and Japan. In men’s water polo, Italy will have to deal with Hungary, Japan, Australia and Croatia. The girls of women’s water polo will instead face USA, Russia, Australia and China in pool B. As for the Italy football team, thanks to the lucky hand of the Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret who drew the balls from the bowl, Mr. Arrigoni’s men were placed in pool B with Mexico and Ukraine. As for their rivals, France, Brazil and South Africa will compete in pool C. Pool D is with Japan, Russia and Argentina. Women will find in their same pool two highly rated teams: Japan and the USA. Sponsor of the women’s tournament draw was the former Napoli player, now in Chievo Verona team, Valeria Pirone. In the men’s basketball tournament, Italy was included in pool D with Germany, Canada and Norway. The draw was carried out by Manfredo Fucile, the old glory of the Partenope Napoli in the 60’s and the 70’s. In the women’s tournament, which did not include Italy, the American champions led by Geno Auriemma were included in pool C with Taipei, Slovakia and Mexico. Mabel Bocchi was the sponsor.