Giro race director Angelo Zomegnan was in Bratislava yesterday to meet with local representatives who may play a role in bringing the year's first grand tour to the small Middle-European nation.
The meeting comes ahead of the 54th edition of the Tour of Slovakia, where Italian energy company Enel is the main sponsor. The listed company also sponsors the Ducati MotoGP racing team.
Tour of Slovakia race organiser Juraj Takac and several of Enel's Bratislava executives invited Zomegnan to meet with Italian Ambassador Brunella Borzi Cornacchia and Vice President of the Italian-Slovak Chamber of Commerce and ENEL executive Michele Bologna yesterday.
Zomegnan also met Minister of Finance, Ivan Miklos, and the Minister of Transport and Tourism, Jan Figel. This morning he will meet the Minister of Education and Sport, Eugen Jurzica and Vice Foreign Minister, Milan Jezovika.
Last year there were talks between Zomegnan and officials from the city of Washington DC as to the probability of the race departing from American shores. While that plan has been placed on hold for now, the Slovakian option looks more promising thanks to Enel's role.
The driving force of the project is to "develop tourism and promote and intensify the process of integration of small countries [which have] recently joined the European Community with the great nations that have established it," according to the RCS Sport statement.
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