26 May 2011 - Presentation of the World Championships numbers at Palazzo Cisterna

Presentation of the World Championships numbers at Palazzo Cisterna Turin (ITA) – 26 May 2011 2004 Olympic champion Marco GALIAZZO and M'arco the mascot    The first numbers of the World Archery and Para Championships which will be held in the Hunting Palace of Stupinigi and Piazza Castello in Turin on 3-17 July 2011 were presented on Wednesday morning 25 May at Palazzo Cisterna, headquarters of the province of Turin. The event has a record preliminary registration with 653 archers, 271 technicians and 87 participating nations.   In the presence of the owner Antonio SAITTA and his deputy commissioner of sports Gianfranco PORQUEDDU, the president of the Organising Committee (OC) Torino 2011 Tiziana NASI, the president of the European Archery Association (EMAU) and Italian Archery Federation (FITARCO) Mario SCARZELLA and the competition manager Ardingo SCARZELLA have outlined the first issues in the event with a record pre-registration of 653 archers, 271 technicians and 87 participating nations.   The World Championships 2011 in Turin are part of the official calendar of events for the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of Italy: "Targeting the celebrations of the 150th on large international sporting events like the World Archery Championships has been a very definite choice," says SAITTA. "Sport in general, in fact, not just football, has always been one of the factors that can make a strong Italian character and able to create in the minds a strong sense of belonging."   The meeting also addressed the commissioner for sport and culture of the city of Nichelino Carmen BONINO, who together with the OC director general Odilia COCCATO explained the project to promote archery in all primary and secondary schools of Nichelino which is taking place in collaboration with FITARCO Regional Committee through cycles of lessons taught by federal archery instructors.   During the presentation, the 2004 Olympic champion Marco GALIAZZO was also the spokesperson for the presentation of the mascot: M'arco, a deer with the tricolour target on his stomach that recalls the statue on top of the Hunting Palace of Stupinigi.   Source: Turin 2011 Edited by World Archery Communication