Prague celebrates Italian Sports Day

The Embassy of Italy in Prague today is hosting at its headquarters the presentation ceremony of the "Italian Sports Day in the World" for the Czech Republic. The initiative promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and CONI, is aimed at "promoting Italian excellence, districts and industries through sport and its protagonists, also with a view to promoting major events to be held in Italy, starting with the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics and Paralympics".

The celebrations will be opened by Italian Ambassador Mauro Marsili, followed by speeches by tennis champion Andrea Sestini Hlaváčková, winner and finalist of several Grand Slam doubles tournaments, by her husband Fabrizio Sestini, successful tennis player and director of WTA Finals Operations, by the famous footballer Tomas Skuhravy, and by Carlo Capalbo, leader of the sports platform RunCzech - explained the embassy. Representing the Czech Government - added the embassy - will be State Secretary to the Ministry of Education and Sport Ondrej Andrys. ''Italian Sports Day is a unique opportunity to showcase, through sport and its protagonists, Italian excellence and the industrial districts that make Italy a global point of reference," said Marsili. Sports diplomacy is indeed important for promoting Italian excellence and supporting the internationalisation of enterprises and sports supply chains. During the evening, prizes will be awarded to the Czech winners of the Birell 10K Race, the running competition held in Prague last 7 September and sponsored by the Embassy as part of the 'Italian Sports Day'. Also as part of the initiative, the photographic exhibition 'Oltre i limiti. Ritratto corale di un Paese che cambia' (Beyond Limits. A Choral Portrait of a Changing Country), organised by the Directorate General for Country Promotion of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs together with M9 Museo del 900 - Fondazione Venezia, will be on display until the end of September.

The exhibition features an anthological selection of photos in seven thematic sections, presenting a multifaceted image of sport as an ambassador of universal values such as friendship between peoples and inclusiveness.

The celebrations will continue on 21 and 22 September in Brno, Moravia, with Andrea Tomatis, Italian coach of the Czech national beach volleyball team - the currently world champion - who will hold a training camp with a final competition reserved for promising young volleyball players. On 28 September Tomatis will travel to Prague, where he will coordinate a series of training sessions with volleyball and padel exhibitions at the Pisecna sports centre. On Sunday, 22 September, a football match between Czech and Italian fans will take place on a Prague pitch will on the initiative of the Comites of the Czech Republic. All initiatives under the Italian Sports Day are organised by the Embassy of Italy with the contribution of the Italian Cultural Institute in Prague, the Italian-Czech Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Comites.