Respect, passion, fair competition and team spirit. These are the values recalled by the first ‘Day of Italian Sport in the World’ also celebrated in Istanbul, which featured Vincenzo Montella and Daniele Santarelli, coaches of the Turkish national football and women’s volleyball teams, two successful icons of Italian sport in Turkey. The event was hosted by the Ambassador of Italy in Turkey, Giorgio Marrapodi, at Palazzo di Venezia, and was part of the ‘Meetürkitaly’ cycle, a promotional initiative launched by the diplomatic representation to share experiences and identify successful and innovative models between Italy and Turkey. The event,’ the embassy recalled, ‘was moderated by Turkish journalist Deniz Aksoy, a former student at the Italian High School in Istanbul, a graduate of the Catholic University of Milan and trained in the ranks of the Gazzetta dello Sport.
At the opening, the president of the Turkish Football Federation Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu and of the Volleyball Federation Akif Ustundag addressed their greetings, emphasising the universal value of sport, an element of sharing and stimulation, especially for young people, as well as a tool for strengthening bilateral relations, as demonstrated by the joint organisation between Italy and Turkey of the European Football Championship in 2032.
‘Sport and diplomacy,’ stressed Ambassador Marrapodi, ‘are a fundamental pair in today’s world. Promoted by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, the first Day of Italian Sport in the World – he explained – is an opportunity to reaffirm values that unite cultures and societies. Italy is a protagonist in this field: proof of this is the organisation of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina’. Montella and Santarelli – beloved figures throughout Turkey for the successes they have led their respective teams to, in the name of team spirit and solidarity, as demonstrated also on the occasion of the earthquake that struck the south-east of the country in 2023 – emphasised the numerous ties and contacts between the two societies, addressing crucial issues related to the world of sport on which Italy and Turkey share a common sensitivity.
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