SAN PIETRO VERNOTICO – It was an evening dedicated to sport and sporting excellence, those that do not recall the big headlines or mega live broadcasts. Sports with less media coverage and Paralympic athletes had their gala evening last Saturday in the natural setting of the square of the Campo di Mare promenade, marina of San Pietro Vernotico.
Now in its third edition, the Sport and Territory Gala – Sports Commitment Award 2022, was organized by Cain, Business and Industrial Sports Centers of Puglia and strongly supported by the regional president, Angelo Solazzo. Many sports guests of the evening, cheered by the singer Gabriella Pinto and by the dance schools Asd Dance Experience Lab by Vincenzo D’Anna and Cuori Danzanti by Simona de Giuseppe. The event was part of the summer program of the Municipal Administration of San Pietro Vernotico. Among the guests the regional President of Coni Angelo Giliberto, the president of the Cip (Italian Paralympic Committee), Giuseppe Pinto, the National Councilor of Csain Luigi Cavaliere and the provincial delegate of Coni, Mario Palmisano. The parterre of local institutions is also rich with the councilors of the municipality of San Pietro Vernotico, Antonella De Matteis, Massimo Canoci, Gianluca Epifani and the councilors of the Municipality of Cellino San Marco, Lorenzo Mazzotta and Davide Montinaro.
Many prizes awarded: Vittoria Bianco, gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics in the 4×100 freestyle relay, elected godmother of the evening; the Serie A basketball referee, Antonio Bartolomeo; the Asd Unione Italiana Ciechi Bari 1988 (the president of the Bari association, Giuseppe Catarinella, received the award); Giovanni Corvino of the Asd Volley San Lorenzo of Francavilla Fontana; Nicola Loprieno of Apd Judo Trani; Salvatore Vedruccio of Asd Squinzano Volley 2017; the young Mesagnese wheelchair basketball athlete, Samuele Longo, under the ASD Lupiae Lecce; the president of Cellino football, Fabio Tarantini who brought the “ball” back to the town of Brindisi; Giuseppe Cortellino, football coach and soul of Asd Diaz Bisceglie.
The sports group “Gli Amici del Cammino” of Barletta was also awarded for combining sport with nature (prize received by the president Nicola Antonucci); Leonardo Cascella, president and founder of the Audace sports promotion body, while Akira Cavallo, received the award as vice president of Gakko Karatedo Shotokan Italia. A particular prize was awarded to Dr. Giuseppe Palaia for his activity as a sports doctor, in football, with the US. Lecce, and in basketball with New Basket Brindisi, and particularly touching was the award ceremony in memory of Cesare Litti, a life dedicated to sport, former masseur of Lecce and Brindisi Calcio, who died prematurely a few years ago: widow, Lucia Litti and her son Marco, promising footballer, champion of Italy with the As Roma Under16 team.
An award was awarded to the Commander of the “Maristaer” Navy base in Grottaglie, Giovanni Esposito, for his willingness to host local sports associations following the lack of sports facilities useful for training during the Covid19 pandemic. The 2022 sports commitment award was also assigned to Pio Grasso, founder, over 50 years ago, of the glorious Polisportiva Adolfo Consolini of Campi Saletina; to Federico Zilli, general manager of Ecotecnica, for his commitment in many sporting competitions, sharing the values of sport. Finally, Vito Sassanelli, founder of Asd Graduates in movement and referent of the Cip Puglia school, and the tennis club of San Vito dei Normanni returned to vogue thanks to the renovation of two municipal tennis courts by some passionate members.
The regional presidency of Csain also wanted to reward the regional president of Coni, Angelo Giliberto, the regional president of Cip, Giuseppe Pinto and Mario Palmisano, Coni provincial delegate, for their sporting commitment in Puglia. A beautiful evening of sport and entertainment, excellently conducted by the journalist Cristina Cavallo.
