The National Day of Sport (Giornata Nazionale dello Sport - GNS) returned this year with a special edition.

Established by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers through a directive issued on 27 November 2003, the GNS is typically held nationwide on the first Sunday of June. This year, however, the event was rescheduled for Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 June, to coincide with the Jubilee of Sport.

The beating heart of the event was Piazza del Popolo in Rome, which on Saturday, 14 June, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., hosted the Sports Village: an open-air gym offering free activities, hands-on experiences, and live demonstrations. The event featured live link-ups with squares in other participating regions across Italy, thanks to the collaborative efforts of CONI’s Regional Committees, sports bodies, associations, and local authorities, all united in promoting this major celebration dedicated to everyone who loves and practices sport.

Children and young people in Piazza del Popolo enjoyed a full day of free trials and live demos across a wide range of disciplines: sport climbing, cycling, cricket, baseball, bocce, badminton, canoe and kayak, track and field, sport dance, football, handball, martial arts and combat sports, water rescue demonstrations with canine units, padel, basketball, Paralympic disciplines, volleyball, weightlifting, rugby, fencing, archery, triathlon, shooting, draughts, traditional sports, tamburello, chess, skymano, and road safety education. The stage featured performances and demonstrations of Latin dances, standard dances, solo Latin style, synchro Latin, twirling, tamboo, Muay Thai, and rhythmic gymnastics.

The event welcomed the outgoing President of the IOC, Thomas Bach, and the incoming President, Kirsty Coventry, both arriving in Italy on Friday, 13 June.

Also in Piazza del Popolo, the round table Sport Generates Hope took place, organised by the Dicastery for Evangelisation of the Holy See. Distinguished athletes including Felipe Massa, Gordon Hayward, Caterina Banti, Simona Quadarella, Giulia Ghiretti, Pino Maddaloni, and Damiano Tommasi took part. The “Pilgrimage of Hope” unfolded along the route to the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica.

On Saturday morning, the Dicastery for Culture and Education hosted the conference The Drive of Hope: Stories Beyond the Podium at the Auditorium Augustinianum. The conference offered a multifaceted reflection on the relationship between sport and hope, featuring elite athletes, international sports officials, academics, and pastoral sport ministers.

On Sunday, 15 June, a cycling pilgrimage traced a route connecting the four Jubilee Basilicas, with riders setting off from the Basilica of St Paul at 8 a.m. The Jubilee of Sport and the National Day of Sport culminated at 10 a.m. with a solemn Mass in St Peter’s Square, presided over by the Holy Father.