Sport in Sicily

Sport in Sicily developed at a high level only from the second post-war period onwards, although there are no lack of examples between the two wars, with different clubs in the major Italian leagues.

Vincenzo Nibali, probably the best Sicilian sportsman of the history, one of seven cyclists who have won the three Grand Tours in their career.

History

As for the athletes, the first Olympic medals concern fencing: the first gold at the Olympics is thanks to Francesco Gargano at the Antwerp 1920 Olympics in team saber fencing and then to Vincenzo Cuccia in Paris 1924.[1]

Olympic Games

Sicilian athletes at the Olympic Games won a total of 54 medals (20 golds, 23 silvers and 11 bronzes) in 31 editions up to Rio de Janeiro 2016.[2]

These are the 20 gold medals won by Sicily at the Olympic Games, eleven of these in fencing: Francesco Gargano (fencing, Antwerp 1920); Giovanni Canova (fencing, Antwerp 1920); Pietro Speciale (fencing, Antwerp 1920); Vincenzo Cuccia (fencing, Paris 1924); Alberto Pellegrino (fencing, Melbourne 1956 and Rome 1960); Angelo Arcidiacono (fencing, Los Angeles 1984); Giovanni Scalzo (fencing, Los Angeles 1984); Maurizio Randazzo (fencing, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000); Guido Messina (cycling, Helsinki 1952); Sandro Campagna (water polo, Barcelona 1992); Paolo Caldarella (water polo, Barcelona 1992); Giusi Malato, Silvia Bosurgi, Cinzia Ragusa, Maddalena Musumeci (water polo, Athens 2004); Giorgio Avola (fencing, London 2012); Daniele Garozzo (fencing, Rio 2016).[2]

Team sports
The handball team of Ortigia Syracuse, three-time national champion from '87 to '89.

The first championship in the national team championship was won in the 1977-78 season in volleyball by the team of Paoletti Catania.

In team sports, the first championship dates back to 1978, with the conquest of the Italian men's volleyball championship by Paoletti Catania[3] and, also in Catania, the national and European domination of Orizzonte Catania in the Italian women's water polo championship. In handball Syracuse is the host, winning three scudetti and two Italian cups in the men with Ortigia Syracuse and one scudetto in the women with EOS Syracuse. Scudetti also in Priolo, in women's basketball, with a European title won for Trogylos Priolo itself, in the canoe polo KST Syracuse, and in table tennis with the City of Syracuse.

Catania is the city with the highest number of league titles and international titles on the island.

National titles won by Sicilian teams

At the end of the 2020 sports season, the Sicilian teams won a total of 86 national titles in team sports. Only the titles won by the maximum league of each sport are taken into consideration.

  Female titles
ChampionshipTeamCityProvinceSeasonsTotalNote
Water polo Orizzonte Catania Catania '92, '93, '94, '95, '96, '97, '98, '99, '00, '01, '02, '03, '04, '05, '06, '08, '10, '11, '19, '21, '22 22 [4]
Canoe polo Polisportiva Canottieri Catania Catania '99, '09, '11, '13, '14, '15, '16, '17, '18, '19, '21, '22 12 [5]
Badminton Mediterranea Badminton Cinisi Palermo '05, '06, '07, '08, '09, '10, '11, '12, '13 9 [6]
Field hockey CUS Catania Catania '90, '91, '92, '93, '94, '96, '14 7
Field hockey indoor CUS Catania Catania '80, '85, '88, '91, '93, '97 6
Canoe polo KTS Syracuse Syracuse '97, '13, '14, '15. '19 5 [7]
Handball Ortigia Syracuse Syracuse '87, '88, '89 3
Flag football Pink Elephants Catania Catania '14, '17, '18 3
Tennis table Top Spin Messina Messina '99, '19, '22 3 [8]
Basketball Libertas Trogylos Priolo Syracuse '89, '00 2
Handball De Gasperi Enna Enna '99, '02 2
Beach Soccer Catania Beach Soccer Catania Catania '08, '18 2
Tennis table Emaia Vittoria Syracuse '90, '91 2
Cricket Cirnechi Catania Catania '01, '02 2
Softball Islanders Catania Catania '18, '19 2
Volleyball Pallavolo Catania Catania Catania '78 1 [Note 1]
Football Jolly Catania Catania '78 1
Volleyball Alidea Catania Catania '80 1
Handball EOS Syracuse Syracuse '00 1
Canoe polo Canoa Club Palermo Palermo '00 1
Athletics CUS Palermo Palermo '95 1
Tennis table Città di Siracusa Syracuse Syracuse '12 1
American football Cardinals Palermo Palermo '12 1 [Note 2]
American football Elephants Catania Catania '02 1 [Note 3]
Total Italian Champion titles won by Sicilian teams 86

See also

Notes
  1. This was the first ever championship for a Sicilian team in any sport.
  2. National championship of American football 9 players
  3. National championship of American football 8 players

References
  1. "Lo sport siciliano e i suoi campioni nel mondo" (in Italian). inchiestasicilia.com. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  2. "Sicilia Leader: In 31 edizioni conquistate 54 medaglie e 20 sono d'oro" (in Italian). tempieterre.it. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  3. "Quarantennale scudetto Paoletti" (in Italian). globusmagazine.it. 15 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2020. nel 1978 conquistò il titolo italiano di pallavolo – il primo assoluto vinto da una società siciliana
  4. "Ventesimo scudetto per le pallanuotiste etnee. Sul podio, ma da dilettanti" (in Italian). ilsole24ore.com. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  5. "CANOA POLO: AL LAGHETTO DELL'EUR A ROMA TRE SCUDETTI E UN SECONDO POSTO PER IL CIRCOLO CANOA CATANIA" (in Italian). globusmagazine.it. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2020. ...serie A femminile, con la Sfre Polisportiva Canottieri Catania capace di centrare il decimo titolo italiano, il settimo consecutivo.
  6. "Campionati Italiani a squadre - Albo d'oro" (in Italian). badmintonitalia.it. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  7. "Scudetto 2018 torna in Sicilia" (in Italian). canoapolo.it. 1 October 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2020. Dopo 2 anni di predominio ligure, i ragazzi di Siracusa (già KST) e che gareggiano col nome di Polisportica Canottieri Ct Ortea Palace riescono a prendersi la rivincita e a riportare il titolo in Sicilia
  8. "Campionato A/1 maschile - Albo d'oro" (in Italian). fitet.org. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
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