Wednesday 8th June, the Air Operations Command of Poggio Renatico, under the patronage of the Municipality and Province of Ferrara and the provincial section of CONI, organised the edition of the sporting event
This year, the ‘Sprig Run’ has positioned itself not just as a purely sporting event, but also as an occasion for entertainment and spectacle, pursuing goals of great social and moral merit, by donating the proceeds from sporting race registrations to the charities ‘Vola nel Cuore’ and the Italian League for the Fight Against Tumours, Ferrara Sections.
On the sidelines of the event, during the morning, lawyer Mennea, along with a delegation from the Provincial Section of CONI, were welcome guests at the Air Operations Command in Poggio Renatico (Ferrara), received by the Commander, Air Squad General Mario Ottone, for an introductory visit to the base and its activities.
The meeting was also an opportunity for the Olympian to refresh his aeronautical knowledge acquired during his military service, undertaken as an athlete at the Air Force Sports Centre in Vigna di Valle (Rome).
At the end of the day, the sporting event concluded with the customary award ceremony for the athletes, attended by institutional, religious, civil, and military authorities from the city of Ferrara. The COA, established at Poggio Renatico on 4th October 2010, is tasked with exercising Command and Control of SAR (Search and Rescue) assets, so-called ‘Operational’ Air Transport (including transport from/to theatres outside national borders, but excluding state flights), and Air Defence. These tasks are carried out every day of the year, without interruption, through the COA's National Operations Centre (AOC Air Operation Centre), which manages and coordinates all assigned assets and resources. In addition to its standard operational activities, the COA may be called upon to provide an appropriate air security framework for ‘high-visibility’ events, as occurred, for example, for the G8 summit in L'Aquila in 2009. Furthermore, the COA is the link between the NATO Command and Control chain and the national organisation, as its Commander performs the dual role of COA Commander and CAOC5 (Combined Air Operations Centre 5) Commander, which is the NATO Command and Control Centre for Air Defence operations in Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, and Albania.
