Trofeo CONI, spectacular opening ceremony in Bari. Buonfiglio: “This is what a winning Italy looks like”
The 11th summer edition of the Trofeo CONI is officially under way. The opening ceremony at Bari’s Stadio della Vittoria marked the start of Italy’s largest multi-sport event for under-14 athletes from all regions of the country. The young competitors are set to battle it out across 16 competition venues in the provinces of Bari, Lecce, Brindisi and Taranto, representing 45 sports organisations – with Twirling featuring as a demonstration sport – and CONI’s 21 Regional Committees.
Among the approximately 4,500 participants in the Trofeo CONI in Puglia, including athletes and coaches, are, for the first time, Paralympic athletes from FISDIR and FISPES, alongside representatives of Italian Communities Abroad from Australia, Brazil, Venezuela, the United States and Switzerland. The event was broadcast live, as part of an extensive streaming schedule, on Italia Team TV, CONI’s OTT platform.
The authorities attending the opening ceremony (photos by Mattia Martegani and Andrea Masini/CONI) included representatives of national, regional and local institutions, as well as numerous leading figures from the world of sport. Institutional representatives included CONI President Luciano Buonfiglio, Italian Paralympic Committee (CIP) President Marco Giunio De Sanctis, CIP Secretary General Simone Rasetti, Vice President of the Puglia Region and Regional Councillor for Welfare, Sport and Youth Policies Cristian Casili, Mayor of Bari Vito Leccese, Mayor of Castellaneta Giambattista Di Pippa, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation representative Giovanni De Vita, Senator Filippo Melchiorre and Members of Parliament Mauro D’Attis and Gianmauro Dell’Olio.
The National Sports Federations were also strongly represented, with Presidents Giorgio Viscione (FIM), Riccardo Bergamini (Federkombat), Sergio Mignardi (FIH), Vittorio Polidori (FITArco) and Carlo Beninati (FIBa), alongside Gianfranco Ravà, Extraordinary Commissioner of the Italian Cricket Federation. CONI National Board member Marco Riva and numerous other Presidents of CONI Regional Committees were also in attendance.
The opening ceremony was preceded by a musical performance from the Militia Sancti Nicolai, before the delegations took centre stage. The parade was led by the Italian Communities Abroad, while the team representing the host region, Puglia, brought the procession to a close. Alla Bua then stole the show with a performance of the traditional Salento pizzica dance, after which Luca De Tullio, winner of the men's 800m freestyle swimming event at the Taranto 2026 Mediterranean Games, and Vittoria Bianco, Paralympic champion in the women's 4x100m freestyle 34-point relay at Tokyo 2020, entered the stadium carrying the Italian flag. With the Italian national anthem, Il Canto degli Italiani, playing, the flag-raising ceremony took place to the music of the Fanfare Band of the Italian Air Force Schools Command and Third Air Region.
The institutional addresses then got under way. “It is an honour to host the Trofeo CONI,” said Angelo Giliberto, President of CONI's Puglia Regional Committee. “Today, we are watching the future of our country parade before us. This is a tremendous educational experience, a meeting place for different regions, cultures and stories. We want each and every one of you to take home not only memories of the competitions, but above all an appreciation of what people can give to one another”.
“It is an incredibly emotional occasion. Bari and Puglia will be your home. Sport is a continuous relay: someone passes on a legacy to us, and it is up to us to decide how to carry it forward with respect and discipline. Here, you learn to respect those competing alongside you,” added Bari Mayor Vito Leccese.
Cristian Casili, Vice President of the Puglia Region and Regional Councillor for Welfare, Sport and Youth Policies, then took the floor: “A huge amount of commitment and hard work has made this Trofeo CONI possible. We are delighted that you will have the opportunity to experience our region. Sport brings people together, encourages positive and genuine exchanges, and fosters unity and cohesion”.
Giovanni Maria De Vita, representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, added: “Sport is a tool of diplomacy and a means of strengthening the ties between Italy and its communities abroad. This will be a great Trofeo CONI”.
The speeches concluded with an address from CIP President Marco Giunio De Sanctis: “We often talk about cohesion and integration, but just as often they remain mere words. The Trofeo CONI has turned words into action. We are proud to be part of it, and our involvement will continue to grow. The CIP will always work in step with CONI”.
He was followed by CONI President Luciano Buonfiglio: “Thank you. You are a wonderful force of nature. This evening will never be forgotten. This is what a winning Italy looks like. An Italy of girls and boys who lead healthy lifestyles. Our commitment is to lead by example. I am certain that many of you will go on to compete at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Yours is a journey through life built on determination, honesty and self-belief. Sport is based on merit, and what matters is giving everything we have. I care deeply about you all”.
An artistic aerial hoop performance by Wonderland Pole and Aerial Studio then preceded the oath-taking ceremony for athletes, coaches and judges. Torchbearers Antonella Palmisano – the only woman from Puglia in Italian history to have won an Olympic gold medal, in the women's 20km race walk at Tokyo 2020 – and Gianluca Iacus – silver medallist in the R5 event at the Lima 2023 World Para Shooting Championships – lit the cauldron, before CONI President Luciano Buonfiglio officially declared the 11th summer edition of the Trofeo CONI open.
Trofeo CONI: allo Stadio della Vittoria di Bari va in scena la cerimonia di apertura
