Tajani Announced New Ambassadors of Sports Diplomacy

At the event for launching the third edition of the project "Made in Italy Sport and Innovation", Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced the new Ambassadors of Sports Diplomacy: Andy Diaz, Gregorio Paltrinieri, Vincenzo Nibali, and the Italian Sports Medicine Federation.

He said: "Sport is also an industry: the sports sector is worth €32 billion, accounting for almost 1.5% of GDP. Everything we are doing is part of a strategy to ensure that sport can be not only an educational phenomenon and a success for the Italian national teams, but also a fundamental tool for our country's economic growth. If Italy works to bring together and leverage all its potential, without exception, it can achieve extraordinary results."

Speakers at the event included Matteo Zoppas, President of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), Luciano Buonfiglio, President of CONI, Diego Nepi Molineris, CEO of Sport e Salute, Marco Giunio De Sanctis, President of the Italian Paralympic Committee (CIP), as well as FIDAL President Stefano Mei; FIN President Paolo Barelli; and FITP President Angelo Binaghi.

The project "Made in Italy Sport and Innovation" aims to promote the excellence of the Italian sports industry worldwide, a strategic sector generating approximately €32 billion in added value, equivalent to nearly 1.5% of GDP, with exports exceeding €4.7 billion. Between 2024 and 2025, over 300 Italian Diplomatic and Consular Missions organized nearly 500 sports diplomacy initiatives to promote the Italian system abroad. "