The Italian National Olympic
Committee (CONI) and the Italian lottery have inaugurated a
project that aims to reduce the social exclusion of youths in
disadvantaged areas.
The project, named 'Vincere da Grandi' ('Win Big') will
begin in May and run through all of 2015. Children between the
ages of 5 and 14 that live in disadvantaged areas of Italy and
who are at risk of social exclusion will have the chance to try
out, get to know and practice numerous sports free of charge.
The aim is to promote the development and spread of sports
culture to encourage and transmit social and educational values
such as fair play, respect, healthy competition, loyalty,
solidarity and team spirit.
The participants, identified through sports associations
involved in the project through town councils, schools and
social services, will be subdivided by age group and inserted
free of charge in track and field, karate, volleyball,
basketball, swimming, football, tennis, badminton, sailing,
judo, gymnastics, taekwondo and rugby courses.
The project will be implemented in four Italian cities: at
Rome's Foro Italico di Roma with Carlo Molfetta, captain of the
Italy's national taekwondo team and winner of an gold medal at
the London 2012 Olympic Games; in Naples' Scampia area with
Giovanni Maddaloni, president and instructor at the A.S.D. Star
Judo Club; at Palermo's Zen with Rachid Berradi, who competed in
the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, one of the star middle-distance
runners on the Italian team and head of the A.S.D. Atletica
Berradi 091; and at Milan's Quarto Oggiano.
The youths will also take part in a two-week summer course
in the same centers and will be able to attend an important
sports event in their region.
"Lottomatica is firmly committed to concepts to giving back
to the collective good and social responsibility with programs
in which about 50 million euros have been invested over the past
five years," said its managing director, Fabio Cairoli, on the
sidelines of the presentation for the project in Rome.
He added that that the project "supports economically
disadvantaged youths so that they can enter the world of sports,
which we hold to be a healthy part of society. Through sports
activities, young people can learn values such as respect for
the rules, legality and commitment to the future. This is an
investment that we make in tomorrow's adults."
"Through this initiative," added CONI chief Giovanni
Malagò, "we propose a virtuous model for public-private
collaboration that, thanks to sports, aims to foster prevention
and social development where it is most useful. Our project
therefore aims both to improve the quality of life for the
children living in particularly disadvantaged areas and to keep
them away from distractions that can be much more dangerous."
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