Italian Embassy in Sarajevo Celebrates Sports Day with Focus on “Mountain and Sea”

Sarajevo: On the occasion of the Day of Italian Sport in the World, the Italian Embassy in Sarajevo organized a special event at the Olympic Museum, a symbolic place, custodian of the legacy of the Winter Olympics that were held precisely in Sarajevo in 1984.

According to Ansa News Agency, this year’s edition is dedicated to the theme “Mountain and Sea,” a common thread that ideally unites the two major international events that Italy will host in 2026: the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Milan-Cortina and the Mediterranean Games in Taranto. The heart of the initiative will be the screening of the video “The People Of,” which will remain on public view inside the Museum until the end of September. The video tells the story of the bond between the communities and territories involved in the Milan-Cortina 2026 Games, focusing on people and the Olympic values of solidarity and sharing.

Ambassador Castellani emphasized the event’s significance, stating, “With today’s sports diplomacy event at the Sarajevo Olympic Museum, we intend to celebrate the value of sports as a tool for dialogue, inclusion and cooperation between peoples: a particularly important purpose in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in support of the inter-ethnic pacification process.” This aligns with the Farnesina’s strategy to promote sports as a tool of cultural diplomacy and a flywheel for economic growth. Italy ranks among the top five exporters worldwide and second in Europe, with exports of sports goods amounting to 4.7 billion euros.

The Director of the Olympic Museum, Senka Ibrisimbegovic, highlighted the event’s connection to the past and future, remarking, “A tribute also to the spirit of the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics, still strongly felt here, and a symbolic bridge to Milan-Cortina 2026, under the sign of a common mountain and Olympic heritage.” Italian sports-related industries are also present in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with notable contributions like “Made in Italy” ski lifts at the Jahorina ski resort and the Italian cable car from the center of Sarajevo to Mount Trebevic. The Day of Italian Sport in the World promotes Italian know-how, reflecting a “diplomacy of growth” supporting Italian enterprises.

During the ceremony, a minute’s silence was observed in memory of Matteo Franzoso, an athlete of the Italian national ski team, who passed away in an accident in Chile while training for the Milan-Cortina Olympics.