From the age of 18, he collaborated in the athletics magazine that his father, a former athlete, edited. Before that, he tasted sport in athletics, but also in football and basketball, just to know what happens in the athletes' minds.
In 1969, he had the opportunity to cover the European Athletics Championships in Athens. Catching the virus, he will never quit. Studying law, he was then offered to drive from Milan to Helsinki, to work at the European Athletics Championships in Helsinki as a journalist: "For that, I missed an exam at the university. I did not graduate, and I never returned to my studying."
In 1972, the Swiss television asked him to become an assistant commentator at the Olympic Games in Munich, then it was the turn of RAI, in Italy, to call on his growing expertise, first in athletics, then in other sports. Since Munich, Gianni Merlo has covered 23 Olympic Games (12 in winter and 11 in summer), a record in itself. It was finally in 1974 that he became a full-time journalist for the Gazzetta dello sport.
There is no doubt about it, the man likes sport: "My father was a great sportsman and I always liked to dive in the atmosphere of stadiums. When I realized that by becoming a journalist, I could tell stories, most often positive, I did not hesitate a single second. Sport is more than a physical practice, it is a culture and we have the capacity through sport to educate youth. You know, clubs and sports associations have to be places where you learn something that has to be useful to society. It's not just about champion factories."
Gianni Merlo has convictions. For several years, he has taken the reins of AIPS which allows him to be at the very heart of sports news, not only in Vigevano, near Milan, his hometown, or even in Italy, but in the whole world.
"Judo is more than just a sport. It is a philosophy of life. It is the culture itself. Of course it's valid for all sports, but judo is really different. I am convinced that all sports should work together. Between judo and AIPS, we have a lot of things in common. Because in the end, we are here to educate."
For two days, Gianni has walked the corridors of the Nippon Budokan. Of course he looks carefully at everything happening around the media. But what is happening on the tatami also interests him immensely: "It's really exciting. Nippon Budokan is not a brand new facility, but there is something incredible here. History was built in this stadium and it is still the case. The vibrations are palpable. I am impressed by the concentration of athletes. I am also happy to see all the energy that is deployed to explain the sport to the public. As we are in Japan, and the spectators are obviously connoisseurs, but I like the IJF pedagogical approach. Everything is perfectly organized. As journalists, but also as organizers, we have the obligation to speak to the public, to take each person in the room by the hand and to accompany them to take full measure of the show that is taking place under their eyes."
As President of AIPS, the men is pleased to see the good collaboration with the IJF: "Judo is a constantly evolving discipline. We must evolve because we have the absolute necessity to improve the overall cultural level of the population. I am very happy and satisfied with the relationship of trust between our two associations. We can do beautiful things together. I like above all the fact that in judo, the champions are approachable. It's a good school for our young aspiring journalist."
It's time to tip off to let Gianni Merlo fill up on culture and emotion. Meanwhile, the Budokan audience can continue to be passionate about the 2019 World Championships and learn again and again.