Promoting 'Made in Italy' Through Sports and Innovation

This morning, Wednesday, May 8, at the Farnesina's Treaty Room, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani opened the presentation of the "Sport and Innovation Made in Italy" project, an initiative that seals the start of a strategic partnership between MAECI, Sport e Salute, and ICE-Agency, in collaboration with the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation (FITP), the Italian Athletics Federation (FIDAL), and the Italian Swimming Federation (FIN). It is a partnership to promote Made in Italy around the world through Italian sport and innovation. The Foro Italico in Rome, between May and June, will host three major sporting events: the BNL Internationals of Italy Tennis, the European Athletics Championships, the International Swimming IP "Sette Colli Trophy". Leveraging the significant international visibility of the events, until September 2024, a structured promotion and communication campaign will be conducted with targeted initiatives, events, and content involving great champions. Gregorio Paltrinieri was also present at the project presentation. Among those present at the project presentation were also the presidents of the Italian Swimming Federation Paolo Barelli, Italian Tennis and Padel Federation Angelo Binaghi, Italian Athletics Federation Stefano Mei - who collaborate with Sport e Salute on the project - the President of ICE Agency Matteo Zoppas, the President of Sport e Salute Marco Mezzaroma, and the CEO of Sport e Salute Diego Nepi Molineris. Also present were the Olympic champion and multiple world swimming champion Gregorio Paltrinieri, the Olympic relay 4X100 champion Lorenzo Patta, the Davis Cup captain Filippo Volandri, and the world athletics champion Fiona May, a testimonial of the European championships. Minister Tajani said: "With Ice and Sport e Salute, we decided to make Federnuoto, Tennis, and Athletics protagonists to ensure that this diplomacy project can start from Rome to abroad. I thank the presence of the interested federations' presidents and the champions who are here, who have won a lot and honor our country with their sports achievements. We are proud of you, you are the beautiful image of Italy. I also thank Ice, which is a crucial part of this initiative, and the military sports groups. We decided to work on sport and sports diplomacy. We have already done so with the Ryder Cup and Giro d'Italia, we have promoted hundreds of sports-related events in all our embassies and at Euro 2024 our embassy in Germany will promote new initiatives also aimed at fans, a point of promotion of our country's image in the world". The president of the Italian Swimming Federation Paolo Barelli said: "The International Swimming Sette Colli Trophy has now reached a historic edition, the sixtieth, and is the last major global event before the Paris Olympics. Very important athletes of the first rank testify to the value of the event a few days before the highlight of every Olympic cycle, the Paris Games. I would like to make two considerations: it seems to me that the athletics track that will be built at the Olympic stadium for the European championships is produced by an Italian company, which is the same that builds and installs athletics tracks all over the world. The same goes for the pools that are allocated within the Paris Olympic program but also the previous Tokyo Olympics because they were made by an Italian company. The issue is this, it is not only a sports project, but it concerns everything that revolves around sport in terms of marketing and excellences. We all remember, for example, the Italian companies that have linked their prestigious brands to the sports clothing of champions". Then the intervention of the winner of everything Gregorio Paltrinieri. "When I was little I saw the great champions and they inspired me to them, so I know what responsibilities we have now that we have become points of reference for younger generations. Emulation is very important for the spread of sport, but also for the development of people. This applies to all disciplines, Italian sport must drag people and, in order for it to do so in the right way, it is necessary to plan synergies like the one we are presenting today. I feel at home here, this area is familiar to me; I was here on Sunday to see Roma-Juve, I will go to the tennis internationals and I will cheer for my friend Gimbo Tamberi and all the other blues at the athletics Europeans - tells SuperGreg - Then obviously I will swim at the Sette Colli, where I will face champions that I will find at the Olympics. Sport drags, tells life stories that in my opinion form, grow, help to properly develop people to prepare them for life. So yes, it is very important to invest in sport as a driving force to carry forward ideas that enhance our identity". "We are pleased to be part of this strategic partnership, of this project to promote Made in Italy. Sport is contiguous to many areas that invest many Italian excellences, I also think of the health and agri-food sector, as well as industry. We like to continue collaborating with the sports federations to manage and grow events that have now reached a world level - from the tennis internationals to the Settecolli swimming to the European athletics - and that have the common denominator of being hosted in the park of the Foro Italico, a real pride of which we are very proud", emphasized instead the president of Sport e Salute, Marco Mezzaroma.