At age 37, work duties forced him to take a year off. The following year, in 1969, he expected to renew his athletics card with FIDAL, the Italian national governing body, but the Federation's "Federal Laws" Article 8, Paragraph 1 prohibited registering athletes over age 35 who had taken a break in competition. While he continued to compete in road races, it took a protracted battle and pressure on then FIDAL President Primo Nebiolo to prove his fitness and ultimately win his card to allow him to continue competing. This case is considered a cornerstone to the establishment of the Masters age divisions in Italy, generally unheard of in 1971 and opening the door to athletes competing with no age limit. A year after that, at age 41, Acquarone finished second, just 9 seconds behind the winner in the Italian National Championships Marathon in Rassina which should have qualified him to run in the 1972 Summer Olympics but he was not selected, possibly due to his age.