Tronchetti still wields influence as chairman of holding company Olimpia, which controls 18% of Telecom Italia's voting shares.

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On three of those occasions Olimpia were champions, a remarkable achievement which places them among the continent's giants.

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According to The Wall Street Journal, the two companies are mulling the possibility of bidding for 66.6% of Olimpia.

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The Olimpia youngster slotted in at right-back to take care of the dangermen operating down South Africa's left flank.

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The Olimpia team, though, look weaker than when they won the Libertadores.

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"A significant number of the 16 are defined as independent, but all of them were put forward by Olimpia, " said a person close to the situation, who did not want to be named.

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His biggest holding, wireless operator America Movil, is up 4% since it announced earlier this month that it was in talks to buy a third of Olimpia, the holding company that controls Telecom Italia.

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They are offered every possible medical intervention, including quadruple-bypass surgery and dialysis (for Olimpia, a grandmother with a slim chance of survival) and bariatric surgery (for Marta, a younger family member who can't lose a pound on her own).

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His biggest holding, wireless operator America Movil (nyse: AMX - news - people ), is up 4% since it announced earlier this month that it was in talks to buy a third of Olimpia, the holding company that controls Telecom Italia (nyse: TI - news - people ).

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