di Mario Masciullo
The curtain rises on the XXIII edition of the Fair Play-Menarini International Award officially presented in the Coni Hall of Honor at the Olympic Village in Rome.
In the temple of Italian sport, in the presence of the president of Coni Giovanni Malagò, the program of the 2019 edition and the names of the winners who will receive their recognition during the delivery ceremony scheduled for next July 4th in Castiglion Fiorentino (Arezzo ).
Born in 1997 with the aim of deepening awareness of the great values of sport, the Fair Play-Menarini
Award has seen, over the years, champions, characters, and institutions that have ethically distinguished themselves in a sphere of action that binds the sports field to civil society.
Also this year, selected by a jury of international caliber, stand out historical figures such as Andrea Giani, Antonello Riva and Zico, institutional figures such as the president of the Lega B Mauro Balata, the champion Derartu Tulu, the first African black woman to win a Olympic medalist, the young swimmer Manuel Bortuzzo, victim of a recent and terrible news story, and many others.
I am happy to be able to present the 23rd edition of the Menarini Fair Play Award in the Hall of Honor of the Coni,; coni president Giovanni Malagò greeted. – Here we are in the sports house and this prize has grown impressively up to its twenty-third year of life. By promoting the values of ethics and fair play, we can say that it is one of the fundamental manifestations of our sports system for the quality and commitment expressed and for the great emphasis it always deserves
Alongside the seven-year award, there is the Menarini Pharmaceutical Group which, also for this edition that is just around the corner, wanted to link its name to the values of ethics and fair play, confirming itself as title sponsor of the initiative.;Menarini wanted to tie its name for the seventh consecutive year to a unique event in the world sports scene – declared Ennio Troiano, Menarini's Human Resources Corporate Director – The Menarini Fair Play Award aims to be a sounding board for positive values of sport that inspire the exploits of the champions capable of excelling counting on their talent and their sacrifices and without seeking easy shortcuts, so that they can be an example to the youngest not only in sport but in everyday life
The 23rd Fair Play-Menarini Prize is set up as a three-day-full of events and initiatives that will promote the concept of loyalty in sports and culminate in the highlight of Thursday 4th July hosted by Rachele Sangiuliano and Lorenzo Dallari and broadcast from 8.30 pm live on SportItalia.
"To be able to present every year at the Hall of Honor of the C.O.N.I. the Fair Play Award – Menarini fills us with pride and satisfaction, but we also cannot express in words how great is the thrill of having managed this year to host so many champions from many parts of the world – explains Angelo Morelli, president of the International Fair Play Award Association.
Men and women who have written pages of the history of world sport, but who have been able to wear the medals they won with humility and a sense of duty, thus becoming bearers of positive messages for a true and fair sport. It is thanks to their presence and sharing of values that the award has succeeded in these twenty-three editions to reach ever more important levels.
The list of the winners of the XXIII International Fair Play Award –
Menarini:Kakhaber Kaladze – Fair PlayArthur Antunes Coimbra (Zico) – A life for sportSvetlana Khorkina and Gianni De Magistris – Characters myth Gabriela Szabo and Daniele Bennati – Fair Play model of life Derartu Tulu and Antonello Riva – Fair Play careerIvan Zazzaroni – Narrating emotionsFranco Causio and Georgi Glushkov – Sport and Life San Marino Olympic Committee – The social values of sport Dorothea Wierer – Promotion of sportMauro Balata – Fair Play and solidarity Federica Brignone – Model for young people Kiara Fontanesi – Fair Play and environment Enrico Castellacci – Fair Play and health Andrea Giani – Special Sustenium Energy and Heart Award Manuel Bortuzzo – Sport beyond sport