Alfredo Gavazzi, the head
of the Italian Rugby Federation (FIR), said Wednesday that Rome
Mayor Virginia Raggi's decision to sink the capital's bid for
the 2024 Olympics could hit Italy's bid for the 2023 Rugby World
Cup.
The RWC bid featured Rome's Stadio Olimpico, where the
Azzurri play their Six Nations games, and the national-team's
now-derelict former home in the capital, the Stadio Flaminio,
and other grounds that would have been used for the Olympic
soccer tournament.
"The No to the Olympic bid could affect Italy's bid to
host the 2024 Rugby World Cup," Gavazzi said at the presentation
of the Italian rugby top flight's 2016-17 season.
"The fact that we had chosen the same stadiums as those
for the Olympic soccer tournament could be a problem. We'll have
a definitive answer soon from the government," he said, adding
that the main issue concerns renovating the facilities.
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