On Sept. 8 at 9:30 a.m., all boys and girls born in 2012, residing in New York City and of Italian descent through at least one of their parents, will be able to compete to win an all-expenses-paid trip to Palermo, Sicily in early October at the Olympic-type sporting event organized by CONI. The venue for Sunday’s competition is the Federation of Italian-American Organization Center in Brooklyn, 8711 18th Avenue Brooklyn New York 11214.
The 12-year-olds will compete in a basketball competition. After passing an initial tryout, they will be divided into teams of four players each. Two boys and two girls will be selected by a coach who will travel with them to Sicily. Accompanying them will also be the CONI USA representative.
In order to participate in Sunday’s competition, the boys and girls:
- must NOT be older than 12 years old by October 4, 2024.
- must be Italian citizens permanently residing in the United States or be U.S. citizens of Italian descent. In case they have Sicilian ancestry, CONI USA will work to arrange a meeting with their relatives, if any, residing in Sicily during the trip in October.
- must be students, attending public or private schools in the Tri-state area.
- must have excellent knowledge of basketball.
- must be accompanied to tryouts and recalls by an adult, register on the spot, and be in possession, in addition to identification and proof of Italian descent, of a medical certificate (issued no more than one year in advance) qualifying them for unrestricted sports participation.
- if selected for the team, they MUST participate in practice.
If a 12-year-old passes the tryout and enters the program, the parents or legal guardians:
- are required to sign an undertaking to reimburse the CONI USA organization or its disbursing agents for the cost of airfare and any other costs related to their son’s/daughter’s participation in the program, should they withdraw his/ her participation after the airfare and other expenses incurred (uniform, travel insurance…) have been purchased.
- are encouraged to ask their child’s school to assign “homework” even while they are in Italy, especially if they are studying Italian culture or Italian-American history in any of its aspects. The coach will check the kids’ papers.
Once selected, the boys and girls can prepare for the trip–parents are encouraged to accompany them and cheer on the team, but they are not covered by the CONI USA program. Departure day for Palermo is scheduled for Wednesday, October 2, returning to New York on October 9. A few days are devoted to the competitions and the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games. In collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the youngsters will also have time to explore Palermo. The cost of airfare, food, lodging, local transportation to competitions and cultural visits is supported by CONI USA.
More than 4,000 young athletes, accompanied by their coaches and parents, from all over Italy participate each year in the CONI Summer Trophy, winners of regional competitions. From abroad, as many boys and girls participate in the event.
For any questions about the provinces/tryouts, CONI Summer and Winter Trophy programs or CONI activities in the U.S. write to: moc.liamg@asu.inocotageled.ortsacil or call mobile #: +1-631-566-0257
