by Alfonz JuckSandro Giovannelli is the man behind one of the most iconic events in the sport, the Meeting Rieti. World records, fast times, great events for over 40 years, and one of the true characters in the sport.
Speaking with Sandro over the years, it was fascinating to speak to a man who had done so much to build athletics in Italy.
Sandro Giovannelli, photo courtesy of Rieti Life
RIETI (ITA): The Rieti City Council approved the honorary citizenship to legendary Sandro Giovannelli. The award will be formally awarded by the Mayor of Rieti, Antonio Cicchetti, in a public ceremony in the coming weeks. The official declaration for the citizenship: “World-class manager in athletics, present at 11 editions of the Olympic Games, a prestigious career behind him, first at FIDAL and then at the IAAF where Primo Nebiolo, president in the 1980s, chooses him as main collaborator. Sandro Giovannelli , born in Rieti on 4 December 1936, patron of the ‘City of Rieti’ Athletics Integration Meeting for 45 years, has allowed his city to be known and appreciated all over the world, creating an unrepeatable territorial marketing operation.”
