Giro d'Italia director Mauro Veni has warned Italian Pro Continental teams that they must grow and improve in order to continue to earn wildcards into the race.

On Thursday, RCS Sport announced that Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec, Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè, and Vini-Zabù-KTM have received wild cards to the 2020 Giro.

The Giro organization initially had only two wildcards at its disposal, as the WorldTour was expanded to 19 teams and a UCI reform was introduced that automatically granted entry to the top Pro Continental teams from the previous season.

However, when Total Direct Energie did not qualify, one more wild card slot was added.

"The Giro has always supported the Italian movement. There are not many margins left for us organizers," Vegni told La Gazzetta dello Sport (open in new tab).

In the previous two editions of Gili, RCS Sport gave one of the wild cards to Israel Cycling Academy, so the now-deceased Nippo-Vini Fantini missed out in 2018, and in 2019 Neri Sottori-Selle Italia (now Vini Zabou-KTM ) was absent. Israel Startup Nation, which became part of the WorldTour after its merger with Katusha, received an automatic berth in the 2020 Giro.

When the Giro's Budapest start was first announced, there were reports that Hungary's E-powers factory team would get a wildcard, but the project collapsed in November; Gazprom Rusvelo, who participated in the race in 2016 and 2017, was the most viable considered the most likely non-Italian candidate, but the three Italian teams were always seen as the most likely to earn selection.

Until 2019, as part of RCS Sport's commitment to supporting Italian teams, the top team in the Ciclismo Cup standings during the season automatically received a wildcard to the Giro. This route to the Giro was removed with the implementation of the 2020 UCI reforms, but RCS Sport eventually allocated the place to Androni-Giocattoli-Sidmek, Bardiani-CSF-Feizane, and Vini-Zabu-KTM.

"My objective was to support our team, but I want to make it clear that in the future it will not be enough for the Italian team to run the Giro alone," Veni said. 'Our team was an important initiative, given our business interests and our constant internationalization. I hope that other teams will look at how they are growing abroad and think more about structuring themselves, their projects and plans. To be invited to race abroad, it is no longer enough to be Italian."

On Thursday, RCS Sport also announced wildcard invitations to Strade Bianche, Tirreno Adriatico, and Milan - Sanremo. The Phoenix Alpecin team led by Mathieu van der Poels has been invited to both Strade Bianche and Milano-Sanremo, but will miss Tirreno-Adriatico.

The 2020 Giro d'Italia will begin with a time trial in Budapest on May 9 and conclude in Milan on May 31.