Rome "is in meltdown," according to Moore & Politi of the FINANCIAL TIMES. Yet 67-year-old former Fiat and Ferrari Chair Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, who is leading Rome’s bid for the 2024 summer Games, believes that "this is the perfect time for the Eternal City to host the Olympics." He said, "You could say, unfortunately, due to the corruption, Italy and Rome are not in a condition to race, to fight, to compete with the United States, with Germany, with France. But that would be defeatist. We have to try." He does not even attempt to minimize Mafia Capitale -- "a sweeping, bipartisan criminal network that has squeezed millions of euros in illicit profits from the city’s garbage collection, transport, migrant centres and much else." A probe "has led to dozens of arrests and is threatening the mayor’s political career." Montezemolo: "Thank God it happened. Catholics would call it a purification." Rome’s enthusiasm for the Olympics "is all the more unusual since other cities are struggling to persuade their residents of the merits of hosting multibillion-dollar sporting events in an age of austerity." Rome "already boasts much of the infrastructure it needs" from the 1960 Games. Most of the spending "would go towards new public infrastructure." Montezemolo: "Ninety percent of the infrastructure would be for the city. It is possible to do a lot for the town not just for the Olympics but mainly for the future" (FT, 7/31).
