The success of the Turin Winter Olympics can be the springboard to a winning bid for the 2016 Summer Games, Italian officials said on Monday.
Rome and Milan are both keen on making a bid and the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) is expected to decide which city will run after the April 9 general elections.
"The success of Torino 2006 gives us more confidence for an Italian bid for 2016," CONI President Gianni Petrucci told a radio show.
Petrucci dismissed the doubts of critics who claim that, with the 2012 Olympics being held in London, it is pointeless for another European city to bid for 2016. Over the last 50 years the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has tended to alternate the continents it awards the Games to.
"It's not clear why we should not have a chance," he said. "Why can't we pull it off?
"Who has ruled that there shouldn't be another European venue after London 2012? Madrid is trying again.".
Rome, which hosted the Summer Olympics in 1960, made an unsuccessful bid to host the 2004 Games, which went to Athens. Italian hopes of having the 2016 Games were boosted by IOC President Jacques Rogge's praise of Turin.
"These Olympics were a great success," he said Monday. "The world's newspapers and television channels are highlighting the Games' excellent organization. "The whole world discovered Turin and perhaps its
inhabitants discovered it too. The legacy these Games have left is extraordinary. The Italians have shown themselves to be organized, efficient and methodical.".
The Winter Olympics went off smoothly, despite budget problems in the run-up and fears that inadequate transport links to the mountain sites and protests would ruin the party. A massive security operation involving some 15,000 officers, the armed forces, and Italian and foreign secret services helped ward off the threat of terrorist attacks by Islamic groups.
"The large-scale, sophisticated security system put into place for the Turin Olympics worked to perfection," announced Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu Monday afternoon. "Today is a day of great satisfaction and, above all, pride," said Mario Pescante, the Games supervisor and the government undersecretary with the portfolio for sport.
"These Games have made a mark and the opening and closing ceremonies were celebrated all over the world.".
Italy also did well on the field of competition, winning 11 medals - five golds and six bronzes.
The only time Italy has won more golds at a Winter Olympics was Lillehammer 1994, when it notched up a
remarkable tally of seven. The Azzurri heroes were luge king Armin Zoeggeler, speed skater Enrico Fabris - gold in the 1,500m and the team pursuit, bronze in the 5,000m - and cross-country skier Giorgio Di Centa - gold in the 50km mass start and in the 4X10km relay.
Those efforts more than made up for the Italian team's medal ducks in the Alpine skiing and figure skating.
