Turning the spotlight on sports. That which excites, wins and conquers. The best image of the country in the world. As part of the 2020 Expo, a spectacular look back at an unforgettable 2021 was staged at the Italy Pavilion in Dubai in celebration of the fantastic successes of a special year and the protagonists whose achievements bring honour and prestige to the country.
The ‘Italian Sports Day’ has captured all of our victories, offering a 'universal' view of them from competitive, economic and logistical perspectives. The day was opened with a speech from Paolo Glisenti, Commissioner General for Italy at Expo 2020, and with introductory addresses from the Undersecretary for Sport, Valentina Vezzali; the President of CONI, Giovanni Malagò; and the President of CIP, Luca Pancalli, in 'The Beauty of Sport’ panel.

Paolo Glisenti emphasised the central role given to sport by the event. "We recognise the importance of this extraordinary sector in terms of the values it promotes and the great social impact it has. This is the first time that the EXPO has made sport the central theme of the event and we are proud of this new development. Sport is a tool that establishes mutli-disciplinary connections and shared experiences. I am grateful to all the participants because they have taught us that overcoming challenges and respecting others are important aspects in all of our lives”.

Valentina Vezzali was keen to draw attention to how much has been achieved since the beginning of this spectacular year. “We want to celebrate sport, its beauty and our country. The pandemic severely impacted this sector, but it has managed to get back on track, rewarding us with a magical summer full of achievements and records. It offers job opportunities and contributes to the national GDP. Sport is life, effort, emotion, and love. In my long career there have been many victories but also tears shed over missed opportunities. Sport has been my second home, my family when I was thousands of kilometres away from home. It has helped me overcome my insecurities, because it makes people dream and offers a lifeline to those who think they have lost everything”.

President Malagò: “I remember when Paolo Glisenti spoke to me enthusiastically about this project, and it's true that he always envisioned sport at centre stage, even before our successes. We are proud of the outstanding people present, because it is they who make the country great. We each carry a value, that of being Italian, and we are especially proud of it this year because of all that we have achieved. Maybe in a few years' time there will be people who are more prominent, more cultured and capable than us, people from the worlds of film, theatre, literature, science or academia, but right now sport and Team Italy are uniting everyone in this wonderful moment of beauty. Our successes did not happen by chance, but by hard work. There are variables, of course, but our goal in terms of Olympic Preparation is to make the most of our talent, without forgetting the human dimension. The Expo is a loudspeaker through which we can tell the world about Italian sport: we want this moment to continue”.

President Pancalli: "In addition to the 109 medals won at the Olympics and Paralympics and the 'small contribution' this has made to the GDP, thanks to sport, a cultural revolution is taking place" and "barriers that we could never have imagined breaking through have come crashing down. All this is to the benefit of the country, which must be ready to step up to the challenges. Sport is a tool for supporting and celebrating the country's potential, not only its economic value, but also its beauty: today, Italy is regarded as a shining example in this sphere. And that’s not all: sport also helps us appreciate diversity”.

Vincenzo Novari, CEO of Milano Cortina 2026, spoke in the panel entitled 'Next, the great sporting events', which focussed on the Winter Olympic Games to be held in Italy. "We are trying to implement a quiet revolution, with much support from the IOC. We came up with two or three revolutionary ideas that we carried forward and managed to get on the new agenda. The first step is a strategic, people-centred approach: our society has an absolute need for sport, which is the only thing that can change society from within. Sport unites people and does good. The Winter Games are sometimes seen as the poor man’s version of the Summer Games. But we are trying to change this mentality and make the Winter Games the Games of all Italians from the moment we take the Olympic and Paralympic flag in Beijing. We are now at the start of our 4-year journey which will see Italy transformed into a huge open-air stadium”. CEO of Inter Milan, Alessandro Antonello, presented 'I M FC Internazionale Milano - Made in Italy: from the football pitch to the world'.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, opened the session dedicated to ‘100 years of Monza and the Made in Italy GP: Italy, the double world excellence of Motorsport', which included speeches by ACI President Angelo Sticchi Damiani and Formula One Group CEO Stefano Domenicali.

“Italian sport has proven to be an extraordinary driving force for the all-round promotion of ‘Made in Italy’. I’m referring here to the relationship between sport and nutrition and the promotion of the healthy Mediterranean diet and lifestyle; and to our close links with fashion and design, as demonstrated by the official football strip for our national team at Euro 2020, which was designed by Armani. Equally important is the link between sport and scientific and technological research, both in the area of ordinary equipment and in the development of prostheses and equipment for Paralympic champions,” continued Minister Di Maio. "The universal language of sport has a fundamental role as a tool for education and social inclusion, but also for diplomacy, fostering dialogue and peace between nations and for the achievement of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development goals”.

There will be a large number of athletes present, starting with Tokyo 2020 gold medallists Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti (Sailing - Nacra 17); Antonella Palmisano (Athletics - 20 km racewalking); and Luigi Busà (Karate - Kumite), and closely followed by team sabre fencing silver medallists, Luca Curatoli and Enrico Berrè; and the bronze medallist Butterflies in rhythmic gymnastics, Martina Centofanti, Agnese Duranti, Alessia Maurelli, Daniela Mogurean and Martina Santandrea, accompanied by the national team technical director and CONI Council member, Emanuela Maccarani. Representing the world of Paralympics will be Tokyo gold medallist in swimming, Simone Barlaam; Vincenza Petrilli, a silver medal winner in archery; and Veronica Yoko Plebani, who won bronze in the paratriathlon.
The ‘Women and Sport’ panel features Novella Calligaris, Emanuela Maccarani, Vincenza Petrilli, Antonella Palmisano and Caterina Banti who will speak about their successful experiences and the role played by sport in furthering their ambitions and giving their talent a voice.