ROME (ITALPRESS) – “2024 has been an incredible and fantastic year, I would say above expectations. We have achieved competitive results that we did not expect with all the disciplines we represent: from surfing, which is the only Olympic discipline within our federation, to wakeboard World Championship victories and many other medals.” This was said by Claudio Ponzani, president of the Italian Federation of Surfing, Water Skiing and Wakeboarding (FISSW), during an interview at the Rome office of Italpress. Now all eyes are turned to the next four-year Olympic period that will culminate in Los Angeles in 2028 with the Olympic Games: “Since before Paris we have been working on the whole youth sector, especially in the Olympic discipline that is surfing but also with all the other disciplines because we expect some surprises either for Los Angeles 2028 or for Brisbane 2032 with the inclusion of some other specialty – told the number one of Fissw – The youth sector has already achieved some great results in 2024, we are ready to arrive in Los Angeles 2028 probably with some other athlete and not only with Leonardo Fioravanti. Maybe with a medal? Hopefully, it would be recognition of all the work we are doing. But competitions are competitions and I don’t want to put pressure on anyone. We have what it takes to get it, though.” Ponzani was re-elected last November with 100 percent of the vote: “A huge responsibility, this election charges me even more and motivates me to do even better,” he stressed, “100 percent is the result of the work done in 2024, so I think I did well and I’m sure I’m on a path to do even better. This 100 percent of the votes was not only taken by me, but taken by the whole team i.e. the board members, the technicians, the directors and also the employees. We have created a beautiful family, we have embarked on this path together that has led us to this result and I hope it will bring us further sports results.” On the work program for 2025 to come, Ponzani explains, “We are paying attention to all the disciplines we represent, we are working h24 on everything, we have already made the appointment of the new general sports director, new technical directors who are preparing their programs for 2025. Everything will depend on the allocations that Sport and Health will assign, and based on those we will determine the course of the 2025 competitive pathway,” he concluded.- photo Italpress -(ITALPRESS).
