Yesterday in the historic Treaties Hall of the Farnesina was launched the second edition of “Sport and Innovation Made in Italy”, a project shared by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Sports, ICE-Agency, Sport and Health S.p.A. and the Federations of Athletica Leggera, Swimming, tennis and padel. The ceremony was attended by Vice President of the Council and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Minister for Sport and Youth Andrea Abodi, FIDAL President Stefano Mei and Andy Díaz, bronze medalist in triple jumping.
With the aim of turning sporting events into showcases of Italian excellence, the promotion plan will be developed until 31 December 2025 through four major events at the Foro Italico in Rome: the BNL International Tennis Championships (ongoing until 18 May), the Golden Athletic Gala (6 June), the Italy Major Premier Padel (8-15 June) and the Seven Swimming Hills Trophy (26-28 June). Each event will be animated by branding initiatives in the spaces, digital storytelling with content designed for international audiences and bright scenographies that will animate the Roman evenings.
Within the project will also take shape a new video series, “Made in Italy We Are”, dedicated to the stories of the champions-ambassadors of the event, and an international workshop on the marriage between sport and innovation, scheduled at ISPO in Munich (30 November-2 December 2025).
Stefano Mei stressed how the recent successes in athletics, with medals and records won among more than 210 nations, have projected abroad «the most authentic and dynamic face of the country». Also enthusiastic Antonio Tajani, who highlighted the social role of sport in involving young people and announced the creation, at the Farnesina, of an Office for Sports dedicated to sports diplomacy, «key tool for export and tourist attraction».
For Andrea Abodi, the agreement between institutions and the sports world is «the basis for a coordinated effort to promote globally the Made in Italy», while Marco Mezzaroma (Sport e Salute) he reaffirmed the value of institutional synergy to transform research applied to sport into innovations that go beyond the sector and enrich the entire national production system.
Moderated by Paolo Petrecca of Rai Sport, the meeting also saw the interventions of Matteo Zoppas (ICE-Agency), Paolo Barelli (Federnuoto), Angelo Binaghi (Federtennis and Padel), accompanied by athletes Gregorio Paltrinieri and Filippo Volandri, sealing a shared vision: make Italian sport a motor of growth, well-being and international dialogue.
Copertina : Unsplash