Naples, whistles and applause for De Luca who presented Noemi, the mascot of the Universiade

Naples. Campania Region President Vincenzo De Luca received boos and applause as he addressed the opening ceremony of the 30th Summer Universiade Napoli 2019 at the San Paolo Stadium in Naples. Some of his remarks were well received by the spectators at the Fuorigrotta sports facility, particularly when the governor mentioned President Sergio Mattarella and Noemi, the four-year-old girl accidentally injured on May 3rd. "Thank you all for being here this evening. It's an incredible feeling for me and for all of us to be in this wonderful stadium where we have gathered delegations from 130 countries. I would like to thank," De Luca began, "first of all the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, who honors us with his presence and demonstrates, once again, his affection for Naples and Campania. I thank the authorities at every level, the delegations from 130 countries, and everyone who helped us make this extraordinary event possible. I extend my greetings to Oleg Matytsin, who placed his trust in us, and a special greeting to the one we wanted to be the mascot of the Universiade, a small woman who has overcome her challenge. Noemi is here with us, and," he added, "we wish her happiness in her life." De Luca then recalled the 70 facilities renovated or built from scratch in ten months for what seemed "an impossible challenge, and yet we are here." "It was a huge challenge. We wanted this event for several reasons: first, as an opportunity for young people from many countries around the world to meet and build peace," he continued. "Young people from countries at war marched, but they were here in Naples in a demonstration of peace and solidarity. We wanted this event to be a great opportunity for tourism and economic development in Naples and the Campania region, and to spark a major youth sports movement in the neighborhoods and suburbs. "Sport," the president concluded, "is a privileged channel for instilling values ​​of solidarity, human respect, and loyalty in young people, and having built dozens of facilities makes this goal possible."