The third and final day of “Vita da Campioni” saw the Library of the Fencing Academy at the Foro Italico host four appointments.
Guests of the meetings, foreseen by the format promoted by Sport e Salute and by FITP, and moderated by the Director of Formiche, Roberto Arditti, by the RAI presenter, Eleonora Daniele and by the Radio Rai journalist, Emilio Mancuso, were the Ministers Giancarlo Giorgetti, Andrea Abodi and Antonio Tajani, and the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri.
The intense day of debates was opened by the Minister of the Economy, Giancarlo Giorgetti who, flanked by the President and CEO of Sport and Health, Vito Cozzoli, by the President of FederTennis and Pade, Angelo Binaghi and by the Legends of Sport and Health, Manuela Di Centa and Filippo Magnini, underlined how “the reform from which Sport and Health was born has led to a path that is starting to give results. The society – said the Minister of Economy – was born with a vision: that of grasping the social dimension of sport, of bridging the ability to intervene and promote sports facilities, to intervene in the school world. A vision later confirmed by those who, after me, have dealt with sport at the government level. Today – continued Giorgetti – I’m glad to be here, in this location that has a future perspective and also includes the cultural and artistic dimension of sport, as well as the industrial and social one. In this sense, when we speak of the “sports industry” I believe we must also be consistent and follow the industrial logic and dynamics in terms of economic and financial actions. The State must not subsidize interventions that follow market logics and mechanisms. The Government’s interest – he added – it must instead be aimed at the social dimension of sport, intervening on plant engineering for everyone, on school and on sports promotion”.
“In recent years we have worked along these lines and the results are evident today – replied the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sport e Salute SpA, Vito Cozzoli -. In three years of life, Sport and Health has managed 2.3 billion euros, never had there been so many resources since the days of the football pools. We have tried to create a social vision of sport, imagined and implemented neighborhood and inclusion projects. When we arrived we were the fifth most sedentary country in Europe, today we are the eleventh. Today 2 million children do physical education in primary school, before there were 500,000, and there were six federations present in the school, today there are forty. We have also supported top-notch sporting events, such as the Internazionali BNL d’Italia which – continued Cozzoli – they are an example of how a sporting event can generate economic development, impact on the territory, work and can be a tourist driving force”.
The Mayor of Roma Capitale, Roberto Gualtieri, also spoke mid-morning, making his debut by congratulating the FITP President and the number one of Sport and Health for the management of the event. “It was a success to run a car as complex as the International in Rome despite variable rain. Luckily here the problems were manageable, in other parts of the country the rain emergency reminds us of the reality of climate change with dramatic consequences” . Then, the Mayor of Rome, alongside the Legends of Sport and Health, Manuela di Centa and Stefano Maniscalco, highlighted how the city has also responded well to the challenge of the Ibi 2023. “We have also multiplied the perception in the city of how important this event is – Gualtieri still maintained –. We are at the service of this type of action which brings benefits to the whole city. Our institutional philosophy is precisely this: to help the city through concrete actions, collaborating and supporting events like these. Furthermore – continued the Mayor of Roma Capitale – we have placed sport at the center of our actions, aware of the importance it has from an economic but above all social point of view, finding in Sport and Health, for example, a fundamental partner. It is no coincidence that together we have redeveloped areas such as Colle Oppio, transforming them into places of sociality and values”.
“We are the ones who say “thank you” to Mayor Gualtieri – replied the FITP President, Angelo Binaghi -. We finally feel an integral part of this city’s system. This year we should achieve all the goals we set ourselves. All this was able to happen because the harmony with the Capitoline administration was perfect. We will also make great strides in the next editions. This tournament will continue to give everyone great satisfaction in the coming years.”
The afternoon session was then opened by the Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi, who, alongside the non-playing captain of the Italian Davis Cup national team, Filippo Volandri, and the Legends of Sport and Health, Maurizio Damilano and Giuseppe Gibilisco, took the opportunity to announce that “On Tuesday, before the Council of Ministers, we will sign a memorandum of understanding between us, a solemn commitment that we assume: we are 7 ministers (Sport, Health, Environment, Equal Opportunities, Disability, Education, Interior) who will contribute with content to so that it is also a training course that makes the person grow. It’s an ambitious project – continued Abodi – I hope not presumptuous, but it will force us to talk about sport and school by getting into the subject”. The words of the Minister for Sport then addressed the issue of plant engineering with particular reference to the Central Tennis Stadium “That – he said – when it is covered, I hope by the end of the legislature, it will have to be the stadium for all sports, but also for music, entertainment, life and socializing. In the same way, I hope that the Stadio Olimpico can rediscover the original architectural spirit with a roof that refers to the rationalism of the entire area of the Foro Italico park”.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, protagonist of the last scheduled panel, spoke about the importance of the role of sport also in terms of international promotion of the country’s image. “A sports policy is useful for the country – underlined the owner of the Farnesina -. Anyone who leaves Italy is the protagonist of foreign policy and sport is a fundamental tool. It is a non-secondary industrial sector, it is not just entertainment, but also business and organization. The big events that are taking place in Rome such as the Internationals, the Ryder Cup and the Giro d’Italia are proof that Rome knows how to organize big events and that, therefore, it is able to host Expo 2030. Every Italian event serves to promote our culture and our identity by promoting exports: it’s all a great mosaic”.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, also in the presence of the Legend of Sport and Health, Angelica Savrayuk, then underlined how “it becomes essential to work with the federations to promote Italy abroad. Sport must also have this function; the champion has the duty to set an example, he is a model for the kid who wants to play sport, teaching him that you can win and lose with your own behaviour”.