Field: Media Inducted: Country: Italy Born: July 11, 1912
in Trieste, Italy
Massimo
Della Pergola was secretary general of the International
Sports
Press Association from 1977 to 1988
and since 1989 has been the organization’s
vice president. As Italy’s premier
sports journalist, he has contributed to
more than 65 newspapers and periodicals
and to Italian and international radio,
television, and press agencies.
Della Pergola has reported 11 Summer
Olympic Games, 3 Winter Olympics,
and 11 World Soccer Cups.
In 1946, as editor-in-chief of the Milan
Newspaper Gazetta dello Sport, he
founded the organization that launched
Totocalcio—the football (soccer) pools
system—to finance Italy’s national soccer
program and the Italian Olympic
Committee. He is also founder of the
Italian Sporting Press Union and has
served or currently serves in a variety of capacities in the
Italian and world sports
community.
Della Pergola is a Grande Officiale of
the Republic of Italy, recipient of the
Prize of the International Universities
Sports Federation. He coined the name
“
Universiades” for the World University
Championships. He has received the
City of Milan gold medal and numerous
other honors.
Since 1960, Massimo has been president
of the Italian Maccabi Federation
and, from 1961 to 1989, was the organizer
of every Italian Maccabi Team
competing in the World Maccabiah
Games in Israel.
