In Italy, sport is everything. Most Italians believe that in 1948 a cyclist winning the Tour de France saved their country from a revolution. 95% of Italians watched the national team win the World Cup in 1978. Through political turmoil, economic crises and national tragedies, sport is always a constant and it can be relied on to provide hope in the worst of times. Sport has a great power over people, not one that should be underestimated; it truly is a religion for a lot of Italians.
In this issue we are going to be covering three different sports: football, rugby and skiing. ‘Calcio’ is a huge part of Italian society and unites and divides the nation with its violently passionate ultrà fans and historic local rivalries. In this edition, Cam Henderson writes about Conte’s move from managing the Italian National Team to becoming manager of the English club Chelsea.
From Harry Maxwell, we get a summary of the recent rugby victory for the Azzurri over the South Africans, the first time the Italians have ever been the victors in this long rivalry. Finally, we turn to skiing, a lesser known sport in England, but one that the Italians are very good at. I’m giving you the low-down on who to watch out for and what on earth the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is. Hopefully it will inspire you to give the sport a watch as the season begins…
Forza Azzurri!
Emily Spearpoint Walsh
Sport Editor