Pageant Pays Price for Violent Past

The Calcio Storico tournament is a long-standing Florentine tradition held every year in Piazza Santa Croce on June 24. A cross between wrestling and rugby, the tourney involves teams from the citys quartieri, or neighborhoods, in the historic centre. In a controversial report, officials recently announced their decision to defer the centuries-long athletic event until 2008. Florentine police chief Francesco Taglienti officially decreed that Calcio Storico will not be held this year in order to revamp the not-so-secure security measures which last year led to 43 arrests and 12 injured citizens. The tourneys suspension for 2007 will allow public officials to rethink and improve the current safety regulations and thus organize a safer event in the future. The difficult vote to suspend the competition this year is not the first; in the past, other matches have also been cancelled due to episodes.A special Public Order and Security Committee recently outlined several new regulations that must be implemented in order to provide for optimal conditions of public safety and security. First and foremost, only Florentine residents living in the city will be allowed to participate in the tourney. Secondly, all participants must have a clean criminal record.Acording to Ubaldo Nanucci, a lover of this ancient sport as well as the head of Florences Prosecuting Office, Calcio Storico shouldnt have been suspended this year. Nanucci agrees that much still needs to be done to ensure the safety of both players and spectators. He believes, however, that eliminating the matches is not the solution. His comments mirror the general discontent of many disappointed citizens.