The history of CUS Padova
CUS Padova is the territorial association of CUSI, Centro Universitario Sportivo Italiano, an organization that was officially established in Padua on March 22, 1946. At that important meeting, sports representatives from the Universities of Bologna, Genoa, Milan, Parma, Pavia, Turin, Venice and of course Padua were present, while Bari, Modena, Naples and Rome were represented by proxy.
The final Statute was approved in January 1947, and the first president of Cus Padova was Alberto Pettinella, who remained in office from its foundation to 1972. From 1972 to 2004, Sergio Melai was the uninterrupted leader of the sports club. He was succeeded by Roberto Zanovello, who remained in office until 2016. The current president is Francesco Uguagliati, a teacher and former technical director of the Italian National Athletics Team from 2009 to 2012.
CUS Padova, which can boast two large facilities, in via Giordano Bruno and in via Jacopo Corrado, currently has 15
sports sections: Athletics, Basketball, Wheelchair Basketball, Five-a-side Football, Field Hockey, Judo, Greco-Roman Wrestling, Rugby, Fencing, Cross-country Skiing, Tennis, Table Tennis, Shooting, Triathlon, Ultimate Frisbee, Volleyball.
Many international champions have worn the Cus Padova uniform. Among these we remember Eugenio Monti, Irene Camber, Franca Peggion, Giuliana Zambotto, Livio Berruti, Franco Luxardo, Cleante Zat, Venanzio Ortis, Matteo Silini, Giuseppe Bottacin, Riccardo Saetti, Giuseppe Stefanelli, Alberto Tonzig, Gianluigi Jessi, Giovanni Evangelisti, Nicola Mazzucato, Rossano Galtarossa, Francesca Bortolozzi, Mirko Faggian and Jacques Riparelli.
