Italy achievements in sport

Football and more

If you asked people in an opinion poll in the UK what they think Italian successes in sport are, very likely they would immediately think of football, perhaps motor racing and cycling, but not much else.

If you asked people in an opinion poll in the UK to name the top 10 countries with most Olympic medals victories, they probably would not include Italy among them.

And yet, Italy has regularly been among the countries that have won the highest number of medals in the Olympic Games.

In football, Italy has one of the best records in the world. Not only has Italy won the World Cup 3 times, result only achieved by Germany and Brazil as well, but it has been in the final of many more World Cups and European Cups.
In 1994, in the USA, the World Cup final was between Italy and Brazil. Both countries had won the title a record 3 times. Whoever won that historic final would become the first national football team ever to conquer the title for the 4th time. The result score at the end of the match was still 0-0, and it remained that after the extra time was played.
The result was then decided by a penalty shoot-out.
Italy lost but, as everybody knows, penalty shoot-outs are much more a matter of luck than skills.
It could easily have been Italy to win 4 World Cups for the first time in the history of football.

In France 1998, Italy lost to the national that was to become champions, France. Again, the match was decided after the regular time was over.
In 2000, the European Championship final was between Italy and France. Decided by penalty shoot-out once again. We lost.

In yachting, Italy reached the final of the America's Cup in Auckland in 2000 with the yacht Luna Rossa by beating the American favourite in the semifinal, and went to race against the title holder New Zealand which beat them in the final.
Italy had already been in the final of this most prestigious trophy in international yachting competition in 1992 with Il Moro di Venezia. It was defeated by the favourite America3.
In recent years, the Italian yacht Luna Rossa placed third or fourth in the America's Cup.

In motorcycling, Italy's Valentino Rossi is the undisputed champion of the world, having won seven world titles in the MotoGP world championship. Other Italians are top international motorcycling aces, like Loris Capirossi now and, in the past, Giacomo Agostini, who won seven times from 1966 to 1972.

Italy is relatively new to rugby, a sport which has still little following in the country.
Yet, the country's team is in the Six Nations tournament, and has beaten long-established national teams like Scotland, Ireland and Wales.