Florentines are the most
sports-minded citizens in all of Italy. According to a recent report published
in the national daily Il sole 24 ore, residents living in the province of
Florence practiced more sport in 2007 than those in any other Italian province.
Jumping five spots since 2006 by earning 503 points overall, Florence bested
the 2006 winner, the province of Trento. Parma, Belluno and Trieste followed.
Points were allocated for the
number of local sports associations, participants of sport, high-caliber public
sporting events and traditional sports. The 62,000 residents who participate in
sports and the presence of 14 centuries-old sports associations helped Florence
lead the nation. Generally, Florentines
seem to prefer team sports to individual exercise, and the most popular sports
in Florence are football and water polo.
Local officials believe that the network of sports
offerings throughout the city, coupled with the fine showings of local sports
teams were also influential factors in securing the prestigious title. The AC
Fiorentina and Empoli football teams, both in the Italian premier league last
year, and the unexpected successes of the province’s women’s water polo team
helped Florence to edge out other provinces.
Along with Florence, the Tuscan region fared well in
the national rankings. While two other local provinces were in the top
10-Grosseto in sixth place and Siena in ninth place-Livorno made 12th place,
Pisa 22nd and Lucca 34th.
In commenting on Tuscany’s showing, president of Coni in
Florence, Paolo Ignesti, stressed the strong Tuscan presence in the Olympic
Games held in Athens, where almost half of the medals won by Italians were
awarded to Tuscan athletes. The impressive skills of Florentine athletes
competing on the international level, suggested Ignesti, are also indicative of
the strong sporting tradition in the territory.
The roster of Tuscan athletes who will compete in
Beijing at the upcoming summer Olympic Games continues to grow, now totaling
28, including Pietrasanta-born shot putter Niccolò Vizzoni, Florence-born
record-breaking swimmer Niccolò Beni and former Giro d’Italia and Tour de
France winner Fabiana Luperini.
