True fair play emerges when sport transcends competition to become an expression of courage, integrity, and respect. It goes far beyond mere rule-following – it is fundamentally about character. Athletes who champion these ideals through their everyday conduct are restoring their rightful place at the heart of sporting culture, challenging a world too often obsessed with winning at any cost.
The 29th Edition of the Fair Play Menarini International Prize will officially start in the prestigious setting of CONI’s Hall of Honor in Rome on June 11th. This will be the occasion to reveal the names of the great international champions who will receive recognition at the evening ceremony on July 3rd in Fiesole, but it will also be the moment to shine the spotlight on three young athletes who embody sport’s most authentic spirit. The winners of the Fair Play Menarini “Young Athletes” – the category that celebrates the virtuous behavior of the new generation – will receive their trophies.
The young goalkeeper at Ponte San Nicolò Team, Nicola Nardo, demonstrated extraordinary leadership by stopping play mid-match to address unruly parents in the stands, declaring he would abandon the game unless they calmed down. His bold intervention proved that true authority does not always come from the captain’s armband – sometimes it emerges from the goal line.
The rising talent from Ski Club Sestriere, Michele Vivalda, sacrificed certain victory after spotting a judging error that officials had missed. He could have remained silent and claimed the win, but integrity mattered more. After all, a victory built on deception is no victory at all.
Last but not least, Alessandro Bugli, the footballer from Sales Firenze Club, deliberately missed a penalty that had been wrongly awarded to his team: a simple but groundbreaking action, capable of putting ethics before results.
Three inspiring tales that remind us that sport’s greatest lessons extend far beyond the scoreboard.
«These young people demonstrate that fairness, loyalty and respect for rules are universal and timeless values that transcend all levels and disciplines», declare Valeria Speroni Cardi and Filippo Paganelli, members of the Fair Play Menarini Foundation Board. «Their actions embody the same integrity we celebrate in the sporting legends we honor each year.»
The Award’s celebration continues on June 26th with the “Study and Sport” Fiamme Gialle Special Prize, building toward a gala dinner in Florence on July 2nd and the main awards ceremony in Fiesole on July 3rd – two memorable nights of inspiration, recognition, and unforgettable moments.