Together, we can continue to foster innovation and harness the power of sport to unite, inspire and transform  

Good afternoon, everyone.
 
Allow me to start by thanking the President of Piedmont Region, Alberto Cirio, the Mayor of Turin, Stefano Lo Russo, and the Chair of the Piedmont CONI Regional Committee, Stefano Mossino, for the warm welcome. And, of course, special thanks go to Professor Stefano Sacchi, the Vice-Rector of Turin Polytechnic, for hosting us in this world-leading centre of knowledge and innovation. Dear Silvia, thank you. I agree with everything you said and your words will stay with me. Europe is doing a lot and I promise we will do a lot more. Thank you, dear Silvia.
 
On my way in, one of your colleagues said to me, ‘Thank you for wearing that blue jacket for Naples’, in view of your past Scudetto success. This is not the first message I was hoping to deliver in Piedmont, but I thought I’d take this opportunity to congratulate the team.
 
I’m also delighted to be joined today by someone who needs no introduction: Leonardo [Bonucci]. The image of the Azzurri lifting the Euro 2020 trophy will be forever etched in the memory of an entire nation. Leonardo, you never held back in your tenacious defence. You and your teammates inspired an entire generation to dream bigger, to fight harder and to believe in the impossible. As the mother of four boys, let me tell you that you have many fans in my house.
 
We should also mention the economic side of sport. On this point, I wanted to share a few of my thoughts with you today on how to make it sustainable, and how to also support the small local clubs which give so much to our communities and young people. Sport should remain strong and firmly anchored at local level. Last year, I spoke at an event in New York alongside Alex del Piero and Antonio Tajani, as well as various US investors, and Italian sporting figures from football, basketball and other sports. A key question we tackled was how can we revolutionise our stadiums to offer an accessible game day experience? This question is already being asked in the US, the UK and here at Juventus too. We need to ascertain the best way to go about this in order to retain talent and capital in Europe; this will prove crucial for the professional future of sport.
 
After all, that is the power of sport. It holds the power to motivate us, lift us up and push us to exceed our limits. But its impact can extend even further than this. Sport transforms lives both on and off the pitch: it improves community well-being, spurs innovation and creates jobs. Recent data show that employment in sport has climbed by more than 2 % in the EU.
 
That is why we need to view education and research in sport as a strategic priority. It is encouraging to see that this university – and this region – are leading the way on this front.
 
Turin Polytechnic is a paragon in this regard, with initiatives like those we have heard about today: the dual career programme, which enables student–athletes to combine their university studies and a sporting career, and involvement in the ATP Finals. The University Sports Centre is now working towards an ambitious project that encompasses sport, training and research. It is a model of innovation for other Italian and European universities to follow.
 
But let me tell you this: behind the scenes, the European Parliament is by your side. We share your vision.
 
We are financing projects, supporting researchers, opening our networks up to students. The new EU work plan for sport introduces tools to help us address the challenges that are emerging in the sport sector, such as increasing commercialisation, sustainability, and the link between physical and mental health. And with our legislative work, we are both fighting to keep sport inclusive and fair, and to shield it from corruption, abuse and those seeking to take advantage.
 
Because teamwork is not just a sporting principle: it underpins everything we do.
 
The history of Europe is no fairy tale. Just 80 years ago, the 27 countries that now make up our Union were at war, divided into blocs and alliances. Today, by contrast, I am proud to lead a parliament of 720 members – representing almost half a billion citizens – whose objective is not to conquer land but to find common ground. Not to divide, but to cooperate. Not to score a victory over the other, but to triumph together.
 
That is the spirit of Europe. And it is the spirit of sport too.
 
At the beginning of my mandate, I had the honour of meeting a group of European athletes who were training for last year’s Olympic Games. Like many of you, I watched the action unfold in Paris in awe. But what struck me the most was this: when they are competing, all of Europe cheers. Italian athletes are European athletes. When Italian swimmers beat world records, when our fencers won gold, when Elisa Di Francisca held the EU flag aloft on the medals podium, we all felt a sense of pride. Because their victories – Italy’s victories – are also victories for Europe.
 
That is why, when I think of cooperation in this area, I feel not only a sense of duty but also confident: confident that together we can continue to drive innovation, boost higher education and harness sport’s power to unite, inspire and transform.
 
Thank you.
 
 
You can read the President's speech in Italian here.