Many athletes, who will attend the Olympics in Canada and the Winter Military Games in Aosta Valley, were present at the event.

“We hope to win many titles and to receive your telephone calls of congratulations, as it happened in the past Olympic Games:  Mr.  President, please call us even during the night”. The C.O.N.I. President Gianni Petrucci has addressed these words to the Head of State Giorgio Napolitano. “You have changed the way of considering sport. You have recently made two pleas for admitting sport at school, and for  automatic funding of sport. The first wish has become reality, and we are going to obtain even the second one” these have been some of the words addressed to the President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano, into the Ceremony Hall of the Quirinale, during the traditional  Greeting Ceremony to the athletes of the  Delegation, who will attend  the Olympic and Paraolympic Games. During the event, Giorgio di Centa and Gianmaria Dal Misto, have received the tricolour as standard-bearers of the Italian team. Among the other athletes, there were Werner Heel, Denise Karbon, Manuela Moelgg, Marianna Longa, Arianna Fontana and Michela Ponza, officers of the Guardia di Finanza. In the early afternoon, the Italian delegation has reached Madama Palace, where the athletes have met the Minister of Foreign Affairs Franco Frattini, the Under-Secretaries of Council and Sport Presidency Gianni Letta and Rocco Crimi, and the C.O.N.I. President Gianni Petrucci.