Yes, I was elected about three years ago, after a new law by the governing body stated that each federation needed a representative elected either by World Cup or Olympic athletes. Climbing isn't an Olympic sport so only those who had competed in the World Cup were eligible to vote, and they elected me as their president, Luca Zardini as Vice President, and Luca Giupponi as Adviser.

You are regarded by many as charismatic…

I'll let the others comment on that. I enjoy this job and I try to carry it out as well as possible. Of course there are some people who find things to criticise about, but that's useful for us to move on. Every year Zardini, Giupponi and I write a report for the Federation about the competition season and about the National Team. We mention what worked and what didn't and we suggest ways to improve things. I also take part in all the Federal Advisory meetings, to hear their new ideas. So it's a job that means you can have your say.

What issues are important?

Above all I'd like the Federation to publicise our sport more. There are other things that need working on though, such as improving isolation areas, which in general are inadequate, and improving the quality of the competition walls and the routes themselves. Another proposal is competition prizes in the Italian Cup. Until now these haven't been obligatory, and although we're not after a lot of money it does seem fair that the finalists at least get their expenses paid for.

Sports climbing nowadays has reached such high levels that it requires professional athletes. How do you manage this?

At the moment it's a bit difficult to live off climbing in Italy. We're lucky though because the army sports groups offer the chance to become professional athletes. There are six of us at the moment and perhaps there'll be more this year. So that's something positive. I hope to continue this rapport even after I've stopped competing, perhaps as trainer. This happens in other Federations, like the Italian Skiing Federation, since it's a good to have professionals who develop the youth sector.

If he follows the athletes on a weekly, not necessarily daily basis, then the trainer becomes indispensable. But reality is different here in Italy and so instead of having a trainer only once a month we asked the Federation for a physiotherapist who now helps us recover after competitions and prepare for the next one.

But you didn't have a trainer in the beginning…

No, like all those of my generation, I'm self-taught. Zardini, Giupponi, myself and many others share advice, try different training methods and see what works best. Even though it's true that one person's training method doesn't necessarily work for someone else. For example, when Marzio Nardi worked as adviser to the Federation he devised a training plan for the entire team: one of the exercises worked well for Zardini, but it didn't work at all for me. So in the end we try to work out what's best for us, to find a method that best suits the individual.

Can you describe a typical training day?