Treviso, October 21, 2024 – Just days before the start of the World Cup, Rudy Project announces that it will once again support the Italian national teams in speed skating and short track. This marks 20 years of partnership with the Italian Ice Sports Federation (FISG). The collaboration, which began back in 2004, will continue until at least 2026, with the Milan-Cortina Olympics in sight. The ambition is to keep winning and continue this sporting journey together for many more years.
Over the past two decades, with the support of Rudy Project, FISG athletes have won 19 Olympic medals, including 4 golds, and 47 World Championship medals, 5 of which are gold.
Rudy Project is a recognized leader in the sports optics and helmet sector, specializing in creating models tailored to the needs of athletes across various sports disciplines. Founded in 1985 with the aim of combining technological innovation and ergonomic design, the company is dedicated to developing products that optimize athletic performance.
Many national teams have chosen the Treviso-based brand as their supplier, but the relationship with the Italian Ice Sports Federation is the longest-lasting. Rudy Project has had the honor of supporting the victories of athletes such as Arianna Fontana (with 11 Olympic medals, Italy's most decorated Winter Olympic athlete), Enrico Fabris (three medals – including two golds – in long track speed skating at the 2006 Turin Olympics), Davide Ghiotto (Olympic bronze in the 10,000 meters at Beijing 2022 and a five-time World Championship medalist), Pietro Sighel (two Olympic medals and nine World Championship medals at just 25 years old), and the trio of Andrea Giovannini, Michele Malfatti, and Davide Ghiotto, who won the 2024 World Championship in Team Pursuit earlier this year.
Rudy Project’s work in serving athletes makes this collaboration an example of Italian excellence, with both the Veneto brand and FISG long-time flag bearers of this achievement.
EXCLUSIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND PATENTS
Rudy Project provides state-of-the-art eyewear with sophisticated design, using lenses specifically designed for winter sports. These lenses, protected by exclusive patents, enhance contrast and detail perception while ensuring maximum safety in case of impact. By improving visibility and reducing eye fatigue, they enable athletes to maximize their performance.
Customization is another strength of the brand, offering options to tailor eyewear to individual athletes' needs. Rudy Project's long history of collaboration with top-level athletes, spanning sailing, trail running, cycling, cross-country skiing, mountaineering, and ice sports, has given the company extensive expertise in sports eyewear and head protection. Athletes test products in extreme conditions and provide invaluable feedback.
The eyewear currently used by athletes of the FISG-affiliated national teams includes the Defender, Cutline, and Turbolence models. The helmets include the Nytron Pro (for short track and mass start long track) and The Wing (for other long track events).
Arianna Fontana, Italy's Most Decorated Olympian
“We proudly celebrate 20 years of partnership between Rudy Project and FISG, a journey that began just before the 2006 Turin Olympics and has been marked by the extraordinary victories of a remarkable group of athletes. They’ve written memorable pages in sports history and are passionately leading the new generations. Speed skating and short track, where speed and performance are essential, embody Rudy Project’s DNA. This partnership has allowed us to push the boundaries of aerodynamics, bringing innovation and safety to the highest levels,” said Cristiano Barbazza, CEO and President of Rudy Project.
"We are happy and proud to celebrate the milestone of 20 years of partnership with such a prestigious and recognized brand as Rudy Project, with whom we’ve shared unforgettable successes and triumphs. What unites us most is our shared values: the pursuit of peak performance, constant innovation, and the drive for excellence. Rudy Project fully aligns with our federation's mission: to provide athletes with the best possible conditions to showcase their talent in competition. The top-tier quality of the eyewear and helmets used by our long track and short track national teams is a key element in ensuring competitiveness at the highest levels," said Andrea Gios, President of the Italian Ice Sports Federation.
To be a supplier to the Italian national team, specific requirements must be met: the eyewear must have shatterproof lenses, and the helmets cannot have any openings or gaps through which a skate blade could penetrate, while still ensuring ventilation. The primary technical feature remains aerodynamic performance: helmets and eyewear must guarantee maximum air penetration, allowing athletes to push harder in races where every millisecond counts.
