“I believed in it until the end and now it’s in Italy, with Spain who were our first opponent,” he said
At the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, from September 29 to October 1, “no one believed it, but I was right”. Thus the president of Federgolf Franco Chimenti, at the presentation of Sky’s programming for the Ryder Cup. “I’m lucky enough to have a certain character, I never get carried away by enthusiasm, it’s my nature, if that had been the case today I wouldn’t be here, but somewhere to take care of me. Honestly, it’s like having suffered an almost irreversible trauma. I knew very well what we were facing, I faced it though I knew I would play for my seat as president for an idea, but I pursued it. It’s more important to assert what I had in mind than to stay behind.”
“I lived like a nightmare when I learned, in a very confidential way, that as Italy, Germany, Spain and Austria remained in 4 formations, the following day there would be communication via telephone. They would start calling starting at 10, every quarter of an hour, the 4 teams from the last to the winning one. There were about thirty people in my room and I was very anxious. The certainty came at 10.30, with the revelation that our real opponent, among the four, was Spain even if they had already had it, but in the end we prevailed”, said Chimenti.
“We’re here, but 7 years have passed. She seemed so far away, and now there are 8 days left. We’re working on a million little details. I keep saying don’t worry, if we have worked well we will collect, we are working on the commas. 250 thousand people will arrive, 70% foreigners and we won’t be at peace until the last spectator arrives in their hotel. Behind it is a city created on a golf course, completely redone, with three different teams, Marco Simone, the Federation and the Ryder. The commitment was to ensure that all the requests of the English and Americans were put to rest”, added Gian Paolo Montali, General Director of the “Ryder Cup 2022 Project” at the presentation of Sky’s programming.
“It’s an important day, we’re heading towards the 10 most important days for golf in Italy. It is a great pleasure, both from a corporate and personal point of view, to host the Ryder Cup on Sky. Golf plays an important role for Sky’s ‘House of Sport’ with 22 disciplines, 12 thousand hours of live broadcast a year, plus of 30 per day, with all the biggest international events and golf enters by right, it has a place of honour, it has a dedicated channel, it is one of the elite sports and with the Ryder Cup we are at the level of the football world cup , rugby or the Olympics, that’s the extent of the competition. Thanks to Federgolf because bringing the Ryder to Italy, I don’t know if it is the greatest success but it is second to none”, underlined Marzio Perrelli, Executive Vice President Sport of Sky Italia, during the presentation of Sky’s coverage and programming for the Ryder Cup. “I was in Rio, the first year of golf as an Olympic discipline. I experienced the 2018 Ryder in Paris as a spectator and realized what it means. I am proud to be able to send it in its entirety on Sky with studies, technology and talent. Ryder comes to conclude Sky’s blue summer which has given us so much satisfaction. Sky turns 20. And he has been adding value to sport for 20 years. We are the largest investors in sport in Italy,” added Perrelli.
“The goal for the Ryder Cup on Sky? They are different. A big push for opening up the golf channel was the Ryder Cup in Italy. The goal is to give added value to our subscribers, the completeness of the offer, this is a gigantic event and we will be there from morning to midnight. I hope there are very important numbers, but the objective is to relaunch golf and bring it into the homes of Italians”, continued Perrelli.
There will be over 50 hours of live broadcast of the event on Sky. The actual Ryder challenge will begin on Friday 29 September, but will be preceded by three days of “training” for players who will test the holes of the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club and by a series of collateral events. Starting from the All-Star Match, the traditional event which, on Wednesday 27th, will feature “stellar” golfers including Novak Djokovic, Carlos Sainz, Andriy Shevchenko, Gareth Bale and Leonardo Fioravanti and which will be broadcast live by Sky Sport Golf and Now starting from 12.30. The Junior Ryder Cup, the challenge between American and European under-18 talents now in its 18th edition, will end on Thursday 28th: live on Sky Sport Golf and Now from 10.30am. Following, the inauguration ceremony of the Ryder Cup 2023. From the following day we get serious with the three days of competition: starting on Friday 29th at 7.30 with the first day, same starting time also for Saturday 30th, while on Sunday 1st October the third and decisive day will begin at 11.30. All live on Sky Sport Golf and streaming on Now.
Source-www.adnkronos.com