The details have been finalized for the ninth Golden Sphinx to be awarded at the 26th Sports Loyalty Award event scheduled for Tuesday, June 3rd at the Hotel Country Club in Gragnano, the Prize's venue for 16 years. The recipient will be Walter Brugna from Cremona, another cycling product of Ivano Fanini.

"This will be another edition featuring top national and international sports figures," says the event's organizer and founder Valter Nieri. "We'll have football legends like Beppe Bergomi (who will also receive the 3rd Memorial Award for the unforgettable coach Gigi Simoni) and Roberto Donadoni, Milan and national team legend, who will also receive the 10th Memorial Award for former Lucchese president Aldo Biagini. Among the honorees is also Olympic and 7-time world fencing champion Elisa Di Francisca, who recently had her name added to the Italian Sports Walk of Fame in Rome in the presence of CONI president Giovanni Malagò, who received the Golden Sphinx two years ago at the 24th edition. We'll also honor former world and Olympic boxing champion Patrizio Oliva and the most decorated rhythmic gymnastics athlete in history, Milena Baldassarri, the only Italian to qualify for two consecutive Olympic finals (Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024). In cycling, the Golden Sphinx will go to team manager Giuseppe Martinelli, who developed Marco Pantani, Vincenzo Nibali, and Mark Cavendish. Then there's Italian track speed specialist Ivan Quaranta (also with successful stints in Fanini teams), Giro d'Italia stage winner who wore the pink jersey for a day, and 1990 World Champion in Maebashi track middle-distance Walter Brugna. In volleyball, the choice fell on Giovanni Caprara, one of the world's most titled coaches, winner of 4 Champions Leagues, championships in Italy, Romania, and Turkey, and world title with the Russian women's national team."

Walter Brugna has a remarkable history with world middle-distance championships. Before winning the title, he secured silver in Lyon in 1989 and bronze in Ghent in 1988. In addition to winning several Six Days races, he boasts 12 road victories and wore the Capannori colors in 1987 (Remac-Fanini), 1988 (Fanini-Seven-Up), 1989 (Fanini-Pepsi Cola), and the 1990-91 biennium (Amore e Vita).