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Giro d' Italia will have more foreign wild card entries in 2012 edition

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Giro d' Italia will have more foreign wild card entries in 2012 edition
New Giro d’Italia Director, Michele Acquarone revealed that more foreign teams will be given an opportunity to ride at the Italian Grand Tour in the coming season. There will be four wild card entries into the event and the inclusion of non-Italian teams
means some home teams will miss out their chances at the Giro this year.
A total number of five wild card entries were allowed at the Giro d’Italia 2011 and four Italian teams were given a chance to participate in the mega event.
Acqua e Sapone, Colnago-CSF, Androni Giocattoli and Farnese Vini were the four home teams at the 2011 edition of the race. The fifth team to qualify in 2011 was the Spanish team with the Italian sponsor, Geox-TMC.
However, Michele stated that the Giro d’Italia 2012 will see more overseas teams participating through the wild card entry.
He told Bici Sport magazine, “For these four wild cards, I would like to favour foreign teams who might widen the sphere of interest in our race – for instance, a German or Chinese team that would otherwise be absent. But I know that we will have to find
a compromise”. 
The Italian Grand Tours have played a vital role in promoting the Italian teams through the wild card invitations.
For the coming event, the only two WorldTour Italian teams are: Lampre-ISD and Liquigas-Cannondale, the Giro has helped a great deal in endorsing the non-professional teams in the event.
Acquarone stated that he is aware of the importance of Italian riders participating at the home tour but it is also vital to have spectators from other parts of the world.
He said, “In the future we can guarantee ourselves more resources and more attention from teams and champions”.
Michele also mentioned that one thing that will not change about the Giro d’Italia 2012 is its traditions and spirits. He briefed, “If I have understood one thing about this sport, it's the value of its tradition, its history and its champions".
The final transfer date for the 2011 season is December 10th and the wild card invitations for the Italian Grand Tour will be announced in the first month of the next year.

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