Overview

• Luciano Buonfiglio won the presidency on June 26 with 47 votes to Luca Pancalli’s 34, securing election in the first ballot.
• Giovanni Malagò conducted a door-to-door campaign for Buonfiglio and retains voting rights in the CONI Giunta, positioning himself as an adviser.
• Federations asserted their autonomy by defeating the government-backed candidate, underlining resistance to Minister Abodi’s and Paolo Barelli’s influence.
• Buonfiglio, 74 and a longtime canoe federation official, is viewed as a continuity choice that upholds the sports establishment’s priorities.
• Luca Pancalli conceded the race and denied serving as “an instrument” of political figures despite receiving backing from the minister and Forza Italia.