Assosport, the Italian sporting goods industry association, has described the past 2021/22 season as a positive one for winter sports after the dark period of the pandemic. Covid-19 forced to cancel virtually all activities from March 2020 until the end of 2021, with severe repercussions on the broader sector. Most companies are finally talking about rewarding results, according to Corrado Maciò, president of Pool Sci Italia and a member of the board of Assosport. Retailers have sold most of the goods, including those left from the periods of forced closure, Maciò said. Demand has also increased for entry-level products, showing that new skiers are eager to discover winter sports, added Maciò.
The Beijing Winter Olympics held on Feb. 4-20, 2022, further boosted the Italians’ attraction to winter sports. The nation’s athletes won 40 medals in China. Moreover, Italy will be hosting the next Winter Olympics in Milano and Cortina in 2026. The Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation and Confindustria Servizi recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding on March 28 to leverage the industrial opportunities of the Olympic event. Confindustria is the main Italian association representing manufacturing and service companies in Italy.
Assosport has also provided data from the 2022 edition of ProWinter Season Finale, which also hosted a ”Ski Rental Summit.” A survey among ski rental companies conducted by Prowinterlab has shown that 80 percent of the companies consider the 2021/22 winter season satisfactory, describing it as either “average” or even “exceeding expectations.” Also, 21 percent of the surveyed experienced a sales increase of between 10 and 30 percent.
