Bartolo Consolo - Hall Of Fame Contributor

Bartolo Consolo (ITA)

2015 CONTRIBUTOR

Birthplace	Rome, Italy	Current City
Country	Italy	Flag	Italy

Birthplace:Rome, Italy

Current City:

Country:Italy

Flag:Italy

Birth Date:

// CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

A passionate water polo player in his youth
In 1987, he was elected president of the Italian Swimming Federation where, under his leadership, the Italian water polo team took home an Olympic, FINA cup, World Championship, and European championship title all in 1992.
Soon after the incredible feat of the water polo team, Consolo was elected to the vice president position of FINA.
The most noteworthy achievement, as proclaimed by Consolo himself, is his development of the Haba Waba Water Polo Development which promotes water polo for children aged 6-11.

Dedicated over 40 years of his life to FINA and all of its aquatic disciplines

// RECORDS

Consolo’s strong leadership led to the Italian National Water Polo Team winning the Grand Slam of Water Polo—the Olympic Games, the FINA Cup, the World Championships and the European Championships—all in 1992. To this day, no team has ever been able to duplicate the feat.

// MEDALS & AWARDS

President of LEN: 1990-2008
LEN Honorary Life President 2008
FINA Bureau Member: 1992-2000
FINA Vice President: 1992-2000
FINA Honorary Secretary: 2000-2009
FINA Honorary Life Member
President of the Mediterranean Confederation of Swimming (COMEN): 1988-1997
Honorary Life President of COMEN:1997
President of Italian Swimming Federation: 1988-2000
Vice President of FIN: 1984-1987
Chairman of Organizing Committee of XXI European Championships 1983 and VII World Swimming Championships: 1994
President of European Sportsmen Association Against Drugs (AESCOD)
Director, Water Polo Development, Inc. & Haba Waba International Festivals: 2009-PRESENT
Sports Gold Star
Official Knight Cavalier of the Italian Republic
Cavalier of Ordine di Malta and Ordine Mauriziano
Olympic Order (gold) by the IOC which has only been presented to four Italians in the history of the award

// BIO

He was born in Roma, Italy and as a youth he loved sports, especially basketball, swimming and water polo. Aquatics won out over basketball, and Bartolo Consolo has spent the last 40+ years dedicating his life and his free time to FINA and all its aquatic disciplines.

At a young age, Consolo advanced to become the youngest president of his hometown club, Rari Nantes of Perugia and then President of Club AS Roma, where he was a very passionate water polo player. In 1983, he was elected President of the Organizing Committee for the XXI European Championships, held in Roma, Italy. A year later, he was nominated as Vice- Chairman of the Italian Swimming Federation.

In 1987, Bartolo was elected President of the Italian Swimming Federation. Consolo’s strong leadership led to the Italian National Water Polo Team winning the Grand Slam of Water Polo—the Olympic Games, the FINA Cup, the World Championships and the European Championships—all in 1992. To this day, no team has ever been able to duplicate the feat.

Under Consolo’s initiative, COMEN, the Mediterranean Confederation of Swimming, was born. Created for a stronger unity in the Mediterranean region, Bartolo became its first President until 1997 and now remains its Honorary Life President. He also helped plan and realize the European Sports Association Against Drugs. In 1989, he was elected a member of the Executive Board of CONI, the Italian National Olympic Committee and the next year was elected President of LEN, the European Swimming League. Under Bartolo’s guidance, LEN had exceptional development, including the birth of the Euro League in water polo and the restructuring of the European Championships to ensure a greater diffusion of the sport technically and with the public. He is now LEN’s Life Honorary President.

In 1992 he became a Vice President of FINA and in 1994, Consolo was able to undertake the responsibility of organizing and bringing the VII FINA World Championships to Roma. These championships were considered a huge success, as were the 1983 European World Championships that he also organized.

In 2000, Consolo was nominated FINA Honorary Secretary and in 2004 he was elected President of the Giulio Onesti Foundation, an organization dedicated to promoting Olympism and sport in Italy.

Bartolo Consolo was elected to four terms as LEN president and is now an Honorary Member of the FINA Bureau. Among his awards include Sports Gold Star, Official Knight Cavalier of the Italian Republic, Cavalier of Ordine di Malta and Ordine Mauriziano and the Olympic Order (gold) by the IOC.

Of all his accomplishments and awards he has won, he is perhaps most proud of his involvement with Haba Waba, Water Polo Development, a nonprofit organization that promotes water polo to children 6 to 11 years-old, and their families. Through Haba Waba International Festivals, Bartolo Consolo has helped share his passion for aquatics and water polo to boys and girls, as well as their families, thus creating future audiences, fans, marketing opportunities and possibly developing future leaders in sports, like himself.