The 28th Fair Play Menarini International Award: Sporting Ethics Champions Enchant the Fiesole Audience
The Fair Play Menarini Award once again united Italian and international sports champions to celebrate the core values of sport. The picturesque settings of Florence and Fiesole provided an ideal backdrop for the event on Wednesday, July 3, and Thursday, July 4, 2024. The gathering featured prominent figures from soccer, volleyball, basketball, athletics, boxing, motorsports, and figure skating, all coming together to honor the principles of fairness, ethics, and respect.
The gala dinner at Piazzale Michelangelo in Florence served as a prelude to the final, emotional ceremony. At the Roman Theater in Fiesole, spectators warmly applauded the world-renowned sports icons, especially the soccer stars who have won major trophies and serve as inspirational role models for the next generation of athletes.
This 28th edition was masterfully hosted by Rachele Sangiuliano and Omar Schillaci. The ceremony was further highlighted by the special presence of past winners, the Menarini Fair Play Ambassadors, who presented the awards to this year’s honorees.
The event showcased a stellar roster of football legends, including Fabio Cannavaro, captain of Italy’s 2006 World Champion team, who received the Paolo Rossi Special Award as a ‘Role Model for Youth’. Samuel Eto’o celebrated as one of the greatest strikers ever, was honored as a ‘Legendary Figure’, and Ciro Ferrara, the Euro 2000 runner-up, received accolades for his embodiment of ‘Fair Play as a Way of Life’.
Fabio Cannavaro and Ciro Ferrara, both highly decorated in their careers, shared with the audience the meaning of playing for Italy. “Wearing the national team jersey means representing a federation that holds significant esteem worldwide”, explained the former Juventus and Real Madrid defender. Ferrara reminisced about his cherished memories associated with the team, adding: “One of the highlights for me was my debut in 1987 when we triumphed in a friendly match against Maradona’s Argentina”.
During the ceremony, Fair Play Ambassadors Giorgio Porrà and Giancarlo Antognoni engaged in a lively conversation with the honored guests of this 28th edition, Cesare Prandelli and Giuseppe Dossena. Prandelli, coach of the Italian national team and silver medalist at Euro 2012, received the award for ‘Sport and Life’, while Dossena, hero of the 1982 World Cup, was recognized for ‘Sport and Team Spirit’.
Moderated by Giorgio Porrà, the event included reflections on the contributions of Paolo Rossi, Giancarlo Antognoni, and Giuseppe Dossena, whom Porrà described as the “gentle touches of our Italian national football team”.
Journalist and writer Federico Buffa, the winner of the Franco Lauro Special Award for ‘Narrating Emotions’, captivated the audience with his storytelling about the most famous sports achievements of all time.
The Roman Theatre of Fiesole hosted an illustrious gathering of exceptional athletes, too. Among them was NBA star Marco Belinelli, who was honored in the ‘Italy in the World’ category; legendary volleyball coach Gian Paolo Montali, who received the award for ‘A Lifetime for Sport’; Olympic speed skating champion Francesca Lollobrigida, celebrated for the ‘Social Values of Sport’; and motorsport icon Cesare Fiorio, who was recognized in the ‘Sport and Courage’ category.
Sprinter Ambra Sabatini, awarded in the ‘Sport Beyond Sport’ category, was named the Italian flag bearer for the upcoming Paralympics. Reflecting on her journey, Sabatini expressed: “Paris will be my second Paralympics, a more aware one. I will go with much more confidence and a desire to reclaim the top spot”.
Sabatini’s new role signifies a symbolic passing of the torch from Federica Pellegrini, the flag bearer at the 2016 Rio Olympics and Ambassador of the 28th Menarini International Fair Play Award: “It will be an incredible moment, the crowning of a career, so try to enjoy it to the fullest”, commented Federica.
Speed champion Roberto Rigali, silver medalist at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest in the 4×100 relay, was honored in the ‘Perseverance and Fair Play’ category. Reflecting on the success of Italian athletics, Rigali remarked: “Athletics is experiencing a dream that all disciplines should live. It is necessary to put heart, head, and soul into it”.
Finally, boxing star Clemente Russo, recognized for the ‘Promotion of Sport’, received his award from Ambassador Elisa Di Francisca. The fencing legend highlighted the educational value of boxing: “Two different sports that have in common the act of striking with respect”. Russo, a role model for young boxers, added about his coaching philosophy: “We train as coaches, trying to be educators first and foremost”.
Watch the award ceremony of the 28th International Fair Play Menarini Award:
“Sport is the most important school of life, shaping people from childhood to adulthood. It truly forms better individuals”, commented Federica Pellegrini, winner of the 2022 edition and Ambassador of the Menarini Fair Play Award. Her words highlight the crucial role that sports practice plays in the social development of young people.
The greeting of Antonello Biscini, Valeria Speroni Cardi, and Ennio Troiano, members of the Board of the Fair Play Menarini Foundation, concludes this year’s award in the best possible way, created in partnership with Sky TG24:
“It was an unforgettable edition, with many legendary athletes. What makes us most proud is the extraordinary public participation and the enthusiasm of the youngest, demonstrating that fair play values are an integral part of our society. We carry with us the emotions of this evening and look forward to revealing the next surprises of the Award.”
28th Fair Play Menarini International Award
Here are the winners of the 28th International Fair Play Menarini Award:
SAMUEL ETO’O – ‘Legendary Figure’
MARCO BELINELLI – ‘Italy in the World’
FEDERICO BUFFA – ‘Narrating Emotions’, Franco Lauro Special Award
FABIO CANNAVARO – ‘Role Model for Youth’, Paolo Rossi Special Award
GIUSEPPE DOSSENA – ‘Sport and Team Spirit’
CIRO FERRARA – ‘Fair Play as a Way of Life’
CESARE FIORIO – ‘Sport and Courage’
FRANCESCA LOLLOBRIGIDA – ‘Social Values of Sport’
GIAN PAOLO MONTALI – ‘A Lifetime for Sport’
CESARE PRANDELLI – ‘Sport und Life’
ROBERTO RIGALI – ‘Perseverance and Fair Play’
CLEMENTE RUSSO – ‘Promotion of Sport’
AMBRA SABATINI – ‘Sport Beyond Sport’