The Wedler between goalposts and the court

The 72-year-old has been practicing as a lawyer for 47 years and has made a name for himself, especially as a criminal defense attorney, not only in South Tyrol but also in Sicily. His most famous cases have filled the newspaper pages for decades. Whether they involved Gabriel D'Alessandro, Alexander Dander, Cleto Tolpeit, Hubert Wieser, or, more recently, Benno Neumair, Flavio Moccia has been at their side as their defense attorney. Passionate athlete But this is only one side of the wiry man who sweeps through his office on Bolzano's Siegesplatz like a whirlwind. The other is that of the avid ski racer who loves to compete in master's races and, to top it all off, is a multiple World Ski Champion of Lawyers. "Write that I won in my age group. I was the fastest of the entire field only once, at the end of the 1990s at the World Championships in Metsovo, the only ski resort in Greece."

Also cuts a good figure in the slalom: Flavio Moccia (72).

In Moccia's law office, his golf clubs and balls sit in a corner ("I don't play golf anymore; it's too time-consuming for me"). Souvenir photos from skiing are few and far between, most of them hidden behind some kind of file. Only an impressive number of trophies and medals on the imposing archive cabinets suggest that Flavio Moccia isn't letting his trophies gather dust in the basement.

Then he “waxes” himself a cigarette, begins to draw, stoically endures the almost incessant ringing of the telephone and, for once, slips not into the role of the lawyer-questioner, but into that of the athlete-answerer.

How did you get into skiing?

" My mother, who was passionate about sports, got me into skiing, even though I wasn't that enthusiastic about it as a teenager. When I started a family at 26 and my four children were old enough, I was hooked. Instead of waiting for them during ski lessons, I started training myself. They skied for the SC Rosengarten, and I participated in all the children's races. As my children grew older, they took different paths due to studies or injuries, so 40 years ago I founded a training group with other lawyers, entrepreneurs, and friends. We called it the Putzer Group. From the very beginning, the coach was Adolf Putzer from Welschnofen, Karen Putzer's father. For the past eight years, we've also been training with Raimund Plancker, the coach of the Italian men's national team, whenever he has time. Most of the time, though, Cinzia Valt-Dejori is our coach.

How do you combine your career as a lawyer with your passion for ski racing?

" I handle around 150 trials a year. At 72, I'm just as enthusiastic about my work as I was on the first day. I should have been retired five years ago. But skiing has a fixed place in my weekly schedule. I get around 50 days of skiing per year, although I enjoy the training more than the ski races. In winter, ski training is mandatory once a week, usually at the Karer Pass in the morning. I draw strength from getting up at 6 a.m., gathering all my ski gear, getting in the car, and driving to ski training. I change in the cabin at the Paolina chairlift, usually leaving my white shirt and tie on under my racing suit to save time changing before driving back to the Bolzano courthouse.

Used to being in the spotlight: criminal defense attorney Flavio Moccia. © Andreas Kemenater

Doesn't it take great discipline and determination to manage this back and forth?

" Mentally, my thoughts are on trials 24 hours a day. The only minute I'm not thinking about my work is during training in the giant slalom or during the race itself. I have to switch off and concentrate on my run; nothing else matters. There's a saying, "mens sana in corpore sano" (a healthy mind in a healthy body, editor's note), for a reason. That helps me in my work. When I'm skiing, I'm in the fresh air; my body has to perform at peak performance. And then there's the completely different world of being in a courtroom with judges, prosecutors, witnesses, the media, etc., discussing the guilt or innocence of my clients. This mix is the constant highlight for me, rather than lying by the pool of a luxury hotel sipping champagne. “The only minute I’m not thinking about my work on the court is between the goal posts.” Flavio Moccia How is your athletic preparation?

"(laughs) That's my big problem. Athletic training bores me. I hate cycling. It's too monotonous for me. Normally, I'd have to do 3000 or 4000 kilometers by bike, but I only do 300 at most. For a little over a year, I've been training via video conference for an hour at lunchtime. Once a week, I can't manage more than that."

Has ski racing shaped you for life?

"Yes, of course. Completely new horizons have opened up for me. I'm out in the mountains, I know all the ski resorts in Europe, I've been to Canada and the USA. Masters racing is my world. But that doesn't mean that the world at the court isn't my world. But: The social gathering after the races, the discussions about my own performance, over a glass of wine and a ham of bacon, that's where I draw enormous energy."

" data-fancybox="inline-76282" target="_image" href="https://s3-images.sportnews.bz/_images/scale/1280x1280/img/2021/04/ist-seit-jahrzehnten-stammfahrer-beim-master-suedtirolcup-flavio-mocciaze.jpg"> Flavio Moccia has been a regular rider in the Master South Tyrol Cup for decades.

You're 72 now. How long do you want to keep going full throttle?

"I don't see any limits. What I have to be careful about is my athletic condition. I'm very busy with my job, so I can't do more than the one hour of dry training per week. In the summer, I enjoy waterskiing, either on Lake Garda or in Sicily, where I have a house and can train perfectly on the smooth water in the morning. But as I mentioned, dry training is too boring for me. A minimum is necessary, however, because otherwise I risk falling and injuring myself. I can't afford to miss a courtroom because of a broken leg or a torn cruciate ligament. I'm the defendant's lawyer, and as such, I can't miss a court appearance because no one else could. I ski with a certain degree of caution. Of course, this also affects my athletic performance. I can only take risks to a certain extent." “Lying by the pool of a luxury hotel and sipping champagne is not my thing.” Flavio Moccia You also regularly work on criminal trials in Sicily. Why exactly?

"I spend around five days a month there. I've been established there for a little over ten years. My former partner, Enzo Fragalá, was beaten to death under dubious circumstances in 2010. This caused quite a stir at the time. In Sicily, crimes are on a completely different scale than here in South Tyrol. The quality of the judges, prosecutors, and lawyers is correspondingly outstanding. I was simply lucky that I was able to persevere and persevere despite everything."

Last question: What do you say about the Alex Schwazer affair, that his pardon before the sports court is not really moving forward? "I'm following the case because I represented Gottlieb Taschler in the alleged doping incident involving his son Daniel and sports doctor Michele Ferrari, who in turn was linked to Schwazer (it ended in a full acquittal before the Court of Cassation, editor's note). I'm convinced that Alex was treated very badly, and at the very highest level. I have no idea for whatever reasons, whether political, economic, or simply to make an example of him. I'm convinced that we'll see Alex competing at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in the summer of 2021. Gerhard Brandstätter is a top lawyer; he must and will ensure that Alex Schwazer can compete there." Portrait of Flavio Moccia Born: January 24, 1949 in Bolzano

Location: Bolzano

Job: Lawyer specializing in criminal law, offices in Bolzano and Menfi (Sicily)

Hobbies: Skiing, water skiing, cars (winner of the Porsche Cup – combination of regularity test with Porsche and giant slalom), had a pilot’s license, golf

Special: Flavio Moccia's father was from Avellino, his mother from Venice. They moved to Bolzano in 1948, where Flavio Moccia was born in January 1949. From June to December 2006, under the leadership of then FISI President Gaetano Coppi, he served on the FISI National Board before Coppi was forced to resign prematurely.

Sporting achievements: Multiple-time world champion in his age group; regular participant in the Masters World Ski Championships and the Raffeisen Cup in South Tyrol.

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The Wedler between goalposts and the court

The courtroom is his home. Or so you'd think, because: "The courtroom? Of course, I love my job as a lawyer. But I'm a master ski racer. And I do it with complete passion and conviction. Write that down!" Flavio Moccia dictates into the recorder.

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