Olympics for the pen

In less than two and a half years the time has come and the 2026 Olympics are just around the corner. And that literally. When there is a fight for gold, silver and bronze in this country, it is also a special event for journalists. This became clear once again this Wednesday in Bolzano.

September 27, 2023

From: fop

Alex Tabarelli, the head of the South Tyrolean branch of CONI (Italian Olympic Committee), invited people to the House of Sports on Verdiplatz and numerous media representatives from the entire region followed the call. For once it wasn't about talented, successful athletes, but about the writing guild itself.

“The Olympic Games are not only the highlight of an athlete’s career, but also the crowning achievement of a journalistic career,” says Tabarelli, who has been working as a freelance journalist for decades. Sitting next to him at the lectern was Elmar Pichler Rolle from the State Coordination Office for the 2026 Olympics and the long-standing Handle-Reporter Diego Decarli from Trento. The latter emphasized: “The Trentino-South Tyrol region can boast more than 80 medal winners, which puts us in the all-time ranking between China and Japan. That's incredible. With the successes of the athletes, countless journalists in this country have also grown, achieved great things in their profession and climbed the career ladder.”

“The Olympic Games are the crowning achievement of a journalistic career” Alex Tabarelli, journalist and South Tyrol's CONI boss

One of these journalists is Franco Bragagna, who has an absolute record in the region with 16 “Olympic participations”. The 64-year-old from Bolzano, who, among other things, is... Rai-commentator is known, is pushing - together with the journalists Giancarlo Benincasa, Tabarelli, Pichler Rolle and Decarli - the cooperation of the reporters in the provinces of Bolzano and Trento.

Franco Bragagna is the record man

This merger will really be launched on October 10th with the Sports Media Day in Trento. All athletes from the region who have stood on the podium at the Olympic Games (South Tyrol alone has so far won 19 gold, 16 silver and 28 bronze medals) and the more than three dozen reporters who have been granted the privilege are invited to attend to act as an on-site reporter for the summer and winter games. The number one topic of conversation will of course be the 2026 Winter Games, in which the provinces of Bolzano and Trento, with the competition venues in Antholz and Fiemme Valley, play a central role.

“Athletes and journalists have experienced a lot together. It is up to them to pass on the Olympic spirit. We want to get involved in this in the future,” concluded Pichler Rolle.