The traditional appointment with the Sardinia Cup will take place from 4 to 7 July. The location chosen for this new edition is Alghero, a tourist resort where the Settebello will stay for a week in its preparation for the Paris Games, concluding the work cycle with a high level quadrangular. The Azzurri’s opponents will in fact be Greece, Spain and Croatia, the teams faced in the decisive matches at the recent World Cup in Doha.
The ideal place to cradle a dream called the fourth Olympics. The Settebello of the immeasurable coach Alessandro Campagna will stay for a week among the enchanting views that have made the Coral Riviera famous throughout the world. In the last days of stay (from 4 to 6 July 2024) the climax is reached with the quadrangular (included in the European calendar and broadcast by RAI), which will precede the Paris Games, together with three other teams with impressive pasts. And the same ones, coincidentally, shared the final acts of the Italian team’s journey at the World Cup in Doha, held in February, which ended with the mocking silver which arrived after the unfortunate penalty shootout well played by a super Croatia who, five seconds from the end of regulation time he had grabbed the equalizer.
The Balkan team of the stubborn Ivica Tukak arrives in Alghero not only with the fresh world title in their pocket, but also as vice continental champion, second only to Spain, also present on Sardinian soil, which won the bronze in the capital of Qatar , after surrendering to Italy in the semi-final; but he started as the defending champion. The first to arrive on the north-western coasts of Sardinia (on 30 June, one day before the Italians), ready to fully honor the fourth edition of the Waterpolo Sardinia Cup, will be the Greek selection which was ousted in the Arabian peninsula by Francesco Di Fulvio and teammates in the quarter-finals after a tense match that ended with just one goal. Not a small result given that the Greeks started as vice world champions and with an Olympic silver to show off with great pride. Match which marked the change of pace for Italy, which also reached the podium the month before with the bronze at the European Championships in Croatia.
LISTENING TO SANDRO CAMPAGNA IS ALWAYS A PLEASURE
World water polo constantly arrives in Sardinia due to the strong synergy established between the National Federation and the local Committee. But the definitive opinion is always given by Alessandro Campagna who elaborates a synthesis between plant engineering and accommodation. Then as a Sicilian there is no doubt that he has a weakness for unique scenarios that remind him of his Ortigia. When he visited the Maria Pia facilities last November he was struck by the outdoor swimming pool, the only one with international dimensions (33×25) present in Sardinia. He is about to face the eleventh Olympics of his brilliant career and already has in mind the teams that he will have to face in the initial group (A): Croatia, Romania, Greece, USA, Montenegro. He has never stopped praising his players who gave him the second place in the world championship, but in the future he would gladly avoid losing on penalties and in fact he is teaching his players how to manage the pitch as best as possible when they find themselves outnumbered. And therefore other factors come into play that need to be tweaked such as footwork, physical stability, quality in the general management of the match.
But in front of the Alghero audience he doesn’t dwell on the purely technical details, he only reflects on the fact that among the hosted national teams there are already those who have won something this year and that in Paris it would be Settebello’s turn to get on the highest podium. For him, Sardinia is a region of a thousand resources where he has met good people who believe in long-range projects driven by major events. And in fact he doesn’t hold back when he has to thank the Sardinia Region, Danilo Russu, defined as a person with great vision who does good for the territory and in this case the Alghero municipal administration for the new challenge. But he underlines how he never holds back when they invite him as a testimonial because for him it is important to throw a seed and make sure it takes root; talents can arise anywhere, but they must be prodded, remembering his experience, which began almost from nothing in Sicily and then led him to become world champion. He urges students to play sports because the two things go hand in hand and among his athletes he can reel off many examples. The closing gives goosebumps: “I invest a lot in this region because I believe in it”.
