The Italian Embassy in France played host to a great evening to celebrate the Republic Day a few days early. The stars of the event were Olympic and Paralympic athletes, the guests of honour. The Italian ambassador to France, Emanuela D’Alessandro, accompanied by her husband Giorgio Di Noia, welcomed over 1,500 guests.

Olympic shooting champion Jessica Rossi, world water polo champion and Olympic silver medallist Alessandro Velotto, and world boxing silver medallist Aziz Abbes Mouhiidine were among those in attendance. For the Paralympic Committee, parabadminton player Rosa Efomo De Marco and parataekwondo athlete Antonino Bossolo, accompanied by CIP Secretary General Juri Stara, were present.

At the entrance of the Embassy, bicycles and handbikes that have made Italian cycling famous were displayed with great pride by the Federation President Cordiano Dagnoni, who also attended the ceremony.

Inside the Embassy, two displays were on show, created with the contribution of CONI and the De Coubertin Foundation: the first contained medals from the three editions of the Olympic Games held in Italy (Cortina 1956, Rome 1960, and Turin 2006), along with the first edition of the Olympic Journal from 1894, while the second held the first sketch of the Olympic rings by De Coubertin, along with the original speech given at the Sorbonne on 23 June 1894, when he announced the revival of the modern Olympic Games.

Coincidentally, it was de Coubertin who chose to celebrate his Olympic vision that evening with a banquet held at Le Pré Catelan, the same venue selected by CONI to host Casa Italia during Paris 2024.