The XXV Menarini International Fair Play awards ceremony saw a genuine outpouring of emotions, with illustrious guests and true legends of Italian and world sport. This 2021 edition was truly special as the event dedicated to ethics and fair play returned, following the restrictions in 2020, with a full programme to celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary. Stars of the Italian and international sporting worlds shone bright, offering messages of trust, commitment and great humanity through their stories.
“Today we are celebrating the first twenty-five years of the Menarini Fair Play Award: an incredible result in an exceptional year for Italian sport,” declared Ennio Troiano, Menarini Global HR Director. “We hope that the values of fair play, founded on sharing principles that represent the true essence of sport, can help us to look toward the future with optimism.”
Those collecting the coveted award at the magical Menarini Fair Play event included former Swedish tennis star Stefan Edberg, basketball icon Pierluigi Marzorati, the Iron Lady of swimming Katinka Hosszú, the eclectic Patrizio Oliva, footballer Eleonora Goldoni and the two Olympians Romano Battisti and Matteo Marconcini, along with other great names from the world of football Siniša Mihajlović, Patrick Kluivert and Massimo Bonini. There was great emotion during presentation of the Special Award dedicated to the memory of Paolo Rossi, which was collected by Marco Tardelli and Hansi Müller, while loud applause welcomed rowers Valentina Rodini and Federica Cesarini who, following their gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, received the “L’Italia nel cuore” (Italy in the Heart) Special Award. The “Narrare le emozioni” (Narrating Emotions) category went to Mediaset sports journalist Lucia Blini, and the “Sustenium Energia e Cuore” (Sustenium Energy and Heart) award went to former referee Pierluigi Collina.
“Words cannot describe the emotion of an evening like this, with so many moments of joy, punctuated with moments of deep reflection, particularly with the award in memory of the great champion Paolo Rossi,” explained Angelo Morelli, Chairman of the Committee that organises the awards. “These twenty-five years have seen a lot of hard work, but also great satisfaction, emotion and personal reward. Being able to celebrate the presence of so many champions, from every corner of the globe, is such a great emotion for us organisers it is hard to describe”.
Here is the full list of winners at the XXV Menarini International Fair Play Award event:
Stefan Edberg, “Carriera nel fair play” (Career in fair play) winner
Massimo Bonini – category: “Fair play”
Stefan Edberg – category: “Carriera nel fair play” (Career in fair play)
Siniša Mihajlović – category: “Sport e salute” (Sport and health)
Pierluigi Marzorati – category: “Una vita per lo sport” (Lifetime Achievement in Sport)
Eleonora Goldoni – category: “Fair play e solidarietà” (Fair Play and Solidarity)
Matteo Marconcini – category: “Promozione dello sport” (Promotion of Sport)
Patrizio Oliva – category: “Sport e vita” (Sport and Life)
Katinka Hosszú – category: “Personaggio mito” (Legendary Figures)
Patrick Kluivert – category: “I valori sociali dello sport” (Social Values in Sport)
Romano Battisti – category: “Lo sport oltre lo sport” (Sport Beyond Sport)
Marco Tardelli and Hansi Müller – Paolo Rossi Special Award “Modello per i giovani” (Youth Role Model)
Pierluigi Collina – Sustenium Special Award “Energia e cuore” (Energy and Heart)
Valentina Rodini and Federica Cesarini – Special Award “L’Italia nel cuore” (Italy in the Heart)
Lucia Blini – Franco Lauro Special Award “Narrare le emozioni” (Narrating Emotions)
Sofia Fiorini – Fiamme Gialle Award “Studio e sport” (Study and Sport)
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