Chechi: the democracy of sport

CHECHI
Juri Chechi (an Olympic gold and bronze medal, 5 World Championships, 4 European Championships) wrote in the columns of L'Osservatore Romano: "Sport puts everyone on the same level: when you lose, it's not forever; when you win, it's the same. He is meritocratic, and can be a beacon for Italy, where shortcuts are too frequently taken, often without bad faith, but only because everyone loves it. In sport, however, there is little to do: either you're ready, or you're not". DRACTOR

VIALLI
It is also good for sport to remember those who have not been lucky, leaving sweet memories, not only on a competitive level, but also on an existential level. Gianluca Vialli, a few years ago, had donated to the Cannavò Foundation the autographed poster of the "Il bello del calcio" award from La Gazzetta dello Sport. It was auctioned off, and the proceeds will support the football for a multitude of kids with relational disabilities. IMMENSE

RAVENNA
In the same spirit, we remember a story, preserving it from oblivion. It is that of the only Italian athlete, of Jewish origin, to have participated in an Olympics, and to have found death in the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp. This is the Ferrara gymnast Gino Ravenna, sixth in the team competition. It was Mirko Rimessi, councilor of the Ferrara gymnastics gymnasium, who discovered it by accessing the company's archives. ARTIRE

FRANCIS
By bringing together the men's and women's sectors, volleyball was the discipline that gave the main satisfactions in a blue key. For this reason, Pope Francis received the Italian Volleyball Federation in an audience in the Vatican. "Sacrifice, training and rigor are essential elements of sport, while doping, in addition to being dangerous, is a deceit, which stains him with falsehood and filth". ETHICAL

COLUCCIA
San Basilio, a former suburban village, is today a populous neighborhood in the extreme north-east of Rome. In a place once frequented by drug dealers, at number 28 in via Carlo Tranfo, the "Palestra della Legalità" was born, which will be managed by the Fiamme Oro of the State Police, to allow the practice of boxing. The soul of this work of civil resistance is Don Antonio Coluccia, an extraordinary and fearless anti-drugs parish priest. HEROIC

SOUTH TIROL
Do you know 32 partners, and 245 sponsors, who work together not setting victory as the first rule, but "not having debts"? In modern football, where the item of expenditure, in the balance sheets, shines a fiery red, it may seem utopian. Yet there is a new reality in Serie B, the Sud Tirol of Bolzano, which has made it a reason for living. More than a company, it is a company, without a president, governed by the principles of marketing. INNOVATIVE

TURIN
Respect and inclusion: these are very current values, even if they are sometimes sporadic in today's world. Extremely important values in sports culture, especially since the international dimension has forged the planet of football. The youth sector of Turin had the merit of highlighting its strength, in the Rai Kids television program Offside Racism, which was broadcast in recent weeks on Rai Gulp and Rai Play. DIDACTIC


Carlo Nesti
NP March 2023