What a celebration GNS 2025 was! Piazza del Popolo beats as the heart of an event that brought young athletes together across Italy

CONI

14 June 2025

A festival that radiated from the heart of Rome across all of Italy. This year’s National Day of Sport (GNS) is a special edition, celebrated today and tomorrow as part of the Jubilee of Sport.

Established by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers through a directive on 27 November 2003, the GNS is traditionally held on the first Sunday in June throughout Italy. However, this year, due to the Jubilee celebrations, it was postponed, becoming an edition to remember.

At its core was Piazza del Popolo, with its Sport Village, visited during the day by IOC President Thomas Bach, Minister for Sport and Youth Andrea Abodi, Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, Monsignor Rino Fisichella, numerous Italian and international sports champions, and many representatives of the sporting world under CONI: National Sports Federations, Associated Disciplines, Promotional Bodies, and Meritorious Associations.

But the true protagonists were the many girls and boys who, in the open-air gym set up for them, took part in free activities, discovering new sports and perhaps beginning to dream of the Olympics.

As mentioned, the celebrations weren’t limited to Rome. It was a nationwide event, with live link-ups with several regions: Basilicata, Calabria, Liguria, Lombardy, Marche, Piedmont, Sicily, Umbria, Valle d’Aosta, and Veneto, which simultaneously joined in the festivities.

A team effort between CONI Regional Committees (full programme here), sports organisations, local associations, and municipal authorities helped make this nationwide sporting celebration a reality.

“There’s great excitement – you can feel a heat beyond the weather,” said Minister Abodi, addressing participants who braved the scorching temperatures. “This event shows the power of sport to bring people together. Sport is a space for meeting, and today is about promoting peace through sport. Thanks go to CONI, both centrally and regionally, and to all the volunteers who dedicate themselves everywhere, thanks to the passion of the people who make themselves available. The Olympic Committee’s mission also includes promoting sport for all, in the spirit of this day.”

“As city administrators and as Jubilee Commissioners, we fully support this beautiful Jubilee of Sport,” added Mayor Gualtieri. “The world of sport is built on the values of commitment and fraternity, which resonate deeply with the Jubilee. The values of sport are the values of this Jubilee of hope.”

Representing CONI was Territorial Director Cecilia D’Angelo, coordinator of the entire national event.

“All the sports bodies wanted to take part in this special day, and they turned out in large numbers despite the heat,” she said. “I bring greetings from CONI President Giovanni Malagò and remind everyone of the importance of the visit from IOC President Thomas Bach, who came to thank us personally for the work we’re doing here in Italy.”

Maria Cristina Pisani, President of the National Youth Council, added: “We’ve long believed that sport is fundamental for personal and human development. It’s a vehicle for sharing and dialogue that brings hope, especially in a complex moment like the one we’re living through.”

Monsignor Rino Fisichella, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation, underlined the importance of the faith–sport connection. “I’m here to say thank you to everyone who has joined us in this journey; to the Minister of Sport, to CONI, and to everyone who helped create this wonderful Sport Village. “Today, more than ever, the voice of sport needs to rise louder – it’s a universal language, one that must drown out the cries of war. When speaking to the Giro d’Italia cyclists and then the footballers, the Pope used simple yet powerful words: sport is a vehicle of hope. The next appointment is tomorrow at 10 a.m.: all of us together in St Peter’s Square with Pope Leo.”

In Piazza del Popolo, young participants enjoyed interactive activities and live demonstrations of numerous sports: 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. There will also be performances and demonstrations of Latin dances, standard dances, solo Latin style, synchro Latin, twirling, tamboo, Muay Thai, and rhythmic gymnastics. With them athletes including Mirko Zanni (weightlifting), Camilla Mancini and Paolo Pizzo (fencing), Marta Bastianelli (cycling), and Emanuele Blandamura (boxing).

A roundtable titled Sport Generates Hope, organised by the Dicastery for Evangelisation, followed – with the participation of stars like Felipe Massa, Gordon Hayward, Caterina Banti, Giulia Ghiretti, Pino Maddaloni, and Damiano Tommasi. As well as video greetings from Edoardo Bove, Simona Quadarella, and Claudio Ranieri.

“On the tatami, sweat shines more than any medal,” said judoka Pino Maddaloni. “On the tatami, you learn the bow, the first gesture of respect for your opponent. Sport is a family. A real athlete never loses. My father dedicated his life to working in deprived areas. Young people can give us a better future.”

“Being a mayor isn’t something you dream of as a child,” said Tommasi, former footballer and now Mayor of Verona. “Is it harder than being a player? In sport, there are many challengers. But in both worlds, it’s about striving for better. In sport, hope is found in giving your all. In politics, you serve a greater purpose. The secret is the team.”

“The greatest support came from family and friends,” said Giulia Ghiretti, Paralympic champion. “That’s how I built everything that followed. Faith? We’re never truly alone. I believe no one gets far on their own.”

“It’s a great pleasure to be here for the Jubilee of Sport and to remember amazing moments in our careers,” said former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa. “The hard times taught us many things. I nearly lost my life, but God knows what He wants, and we must always keep believing. Nothing is impossible when you believe.”

Caterina Banti, Olympic sailing champion, added: “It’s an honour to be here, alongside great champions from other sports, on such an important day. I always dreamed of being an athlete, though I came to it late. Today, sailing is full of women. At Paris, there were two mixed classes, the first fully gender-equal Olympics. Sport teaches us inclusion and equal opportunity, regardless of gender. Then, may the best win!”

“What advice would I give to those starting out? To dream big, set high goals, and go after them,” said Gordon Hayward, NBA star. “And not to listen to what others say. There’s only one judge: Jesus. That’s all that counts: we’ll only be judged by Him.”

The day concluded with the “Pilgrimage of Hope” towards the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica.

On Sunday, June 15, 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.