CASSINO – The countdown starts. In exactly one month, i.e. 12 March, the city of Cassino will host the World University Cross Country Championships. But the delegations of the various countries will start to arrive in the martyr city already on 7 March. All details about the WUC Cross Country which will be held on the Folcara Campus’s inside track were presented yesterday morning in the lecture hall of the University. Chancellor Giovanni Betta played host along with his predecessor, as well as the president of the Organising Committee Ciro Attaianese. The first speaker was Mayor Giuseppe Golini Petrarcone who explained the benefits that such a sporting competition will bring to the city in terms of tourism and infrastructure impact. The President of CUS Cassino Carmine Calce, at the forefront in the event organisation, highlighted the work of national CUSI (present yesterday through the President Lentini and the General Secretary Dima), FIDAL (represented by Nasciuti) and CONI. Present at the round table also were Daniele Masala and Massimo Magnani, technical delegate, who immediately after the press conference performed an inspection on the course.
Guest of honour was the Olympic champion Franco Fava, 29 times Italian national, who participated in two editions of the Olympic Games (8th place in the marathon of Montreal in 1976) and a European Athletics Championship (4th place in Rome’s 3000 steeplechase in 1974). In winter, Fava used to dedicate himself to cross country and his best result was a 4th place at the Dusseldorf World Championships in 1977. He retired at age 38 from sports competitions and is now a journalist for the Italian sports courier ‘Corriere dello Sport’. Yesterday in the lecture hall he brought his blessing to the event and congratulated the organisers. The CUS’s President Carmine Calce explained that on 12 March more than 500 athletes from 30 different countries are expected to compete for the FISU gold. The importance of promoting the University of Cassino through worldwide resonance sporting events was eventually highlighted also by the rector Giovanni Betta and his delegate, as well as by the president of the Organising Committee Ciro Attaianese. The info point within the Folcara college campus will be the collector of all the world-event activities during the week in which the Campus will welcome students from all over the world. The highlight of the races, as mentioned, is scheduled for 12 March when about 500 students will compete on the circuit inside the Campus. But the CUS already looks beyond, to the events to be realized in 2017. Not before, however, than worthily celebrate this year: first with the WUC Cross Country and then with a big party to toast to the 30 years of CUS Cassino.
(Source: LOC 2016 WUC Cross Country)
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