Opening in Cervia and Cesenatico

The opening ceremony in Cervia and a parade in Cesenatico marked the opening of the three CSIT Singles Championships 2022 in Italy on Thursday. Mamanet and Beachsoccer will take place in Cesena until Sunday. Gymnastics organised by FISAC and FITKID will be held at the same time in Cesenatico. A total of about 1,000 athletes are registered. The tournament is organised by AICS and CSIT (International Federation of Amateur Sports) with the support of the Department of Sport - Presidency of the Council of Ministers.

CSIT and AICS President Bruno Molea officially opened the Games and in his speech stressed the importance of gender equality in sport as it is a fundamental tool for social cohesion. There were numerous speeches from leading delegation members, such as Ofra Abramovich, Founder and President of MAMANET, and the Mayor of the Municipality of Cervia, Massimo Medri.

"A special thanks to Bruno Molea for once again choosing our beautiful city to host the Games, where this celebration can take place in the name of sport," said Medri. "I hope that everyone appreciates the spirit of hospitality of Cervia. Take advantage of sport so that we can find unity, friendship and lots of fun in it."

The official opening ceremony of the Games saw a grand parade of the various teams from the USA, Germany, Suriname, Tunisia, Hungary, Ireland, Mexico, Moldova, Latvia, Austria, Israel, Iran and Italy. A main act were top-class performances by the numerous Italian, Irish, Hungarian, Moldavian and German gymnasts, who entertained the audience with acrobatics, flash mobs and traditional polka and folklore dances from Romagna.

At the end of the ceremony, the sporting oaths were administered by CSIT President Molea, athlete representatives, judges and volunteers.