Margherita Crosta is a young Italian athlete who participated as junior in World Cup of Taicang 2014.

It is now at a crossroads: universities or training ?

She had the courage to write to a famous journalist of the most prestigious Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera, Beppe Severgnini these few lines that we publish after being detected by the blog "The Italians - Corriere della Sera", then the answer together.

Dear Beppe Severgnini, 

I'm a twenty year old from Milan who practice athletics for three years, my discipline, in which athletes are in the national interest, is race walk.

I’m also at the beginning of the second year of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Milan for now are in par with the exams and I have a good average. 

All this just to say that now, like many, I am practically forced to choose between sports and universities (of course I speak of being quite on the same courses and examinations, be registered giving sometimes examinations so would not be difficult, but I would find it very seriously), hereinafter the need to relocate to Rome to continue training.

Faced with this choice, really painful for me, I wonder how it is that in Italy there is no any serious project, which I believe should be shared by Federations-Olympic Committee and Universities, which allows young athletes to study meeting their needs. 

To be sure there would be the University of Trento, which has specific programs for athletes, but for many it is outside the geographical scope and has a very limited number of graduate programs.

In addition to the USA with their fantastic universities, in almost all European countries there are agreements with the normal State universities (see Spain), unless appropriate structures, in order to reconcile the two activities to the fullest. I find that giving the 

opportunity to seriously study could be very important for those who practice athletics, because focusing only on the sport can become almost alienating, as well as being unwise for the future. 

Kind regards

Margherita Crosta

The answer of Beppe Severgnini

Legitimate desire, your, dear Margherita.

But to do certain things need planning and foresight.

In Italy, even in schools and university, we prefer chasing emergencies.