Olympic Canoeist and Manager, Who is the New President of Coni?

The new president of CONI, Luciano Buonfiglio, will lead the Italian Olympic movement until Los Angeles 2028, leaving the Canoe and Kayak Federation that he has led since 2005.

Buonfiglio was born in Naples in 1950 and began swimming and sailing at the Circolo Nautico Posillipo. He moved with his family to Milan at the age of fifteen and chose canoeing, a discipline that gave him considerable satisfaction. He joined the Fiamme Oro Sports Group and was called up to the national team, making 36 appearances. After graduating as Italian Champion on several occasions, he participated in five World Championships and in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal in the K-4 specialty.

As a sports manager, Buonfiglio served as advisor, vice president and then president of the Italian Canoe Kayak Federation, contributing to the growth of the sector, with over 20 thousand members more than tripled, accounts in order, Olympic medals and a new federal center financed by the Pnrr. Since 2009, he has been treasurer of the International Canoe Federation of which he is also vice president and from 2013 to 2018 he was vice president of the Olympic Committee during Malagò's first mandate.

Outside of sport, the new president of CONI has worked in the insurance and banking sectors, holding various prestigious positions, such as president of the technical section of Ania from 1985 to 2003, central director of Banca Popolare di Bari from 2004 to 2012 and central corporate director at Ras/Allianz.

"We must be protagonists of a path of evolution. I don't like the word change, I like to evolve and my thoughts go to the athletes who have our shield printed on their chest. CONI must not change, but must always improve - Buonfiglio had said shortly before being elected, during his speech in the National Council -. The history we have lived has always made us proud. We are pleasantly condemned to continue to win, only in this way can we make people talk about us. What should we do then? In the meantime, coordinate with the Government and Sport and Health for a four-year strategic plan. This is why we have created the departments, each of you will be involved in producing initiatives that we have sometimes suffered. We have the strength and expertise to be protagonists and propose those initiatives that must ensure that CONI is always a protagonist in the world".