In Los Angeles, the first Italian Sport Day was celebrated last September 19 at the showroom of Technogym, an excellence of “Made in Italy” and world leader in the sports equipment sector. The event consisted in a conversation, moderated by sports journalist Veronica Maffei, with Alessandro Campagna, coach of the Italian men’s water polo team; Niccolò Campriani, Olympic gold medalist in shooting, sports engineer and Senior Sports Director at LA28; Enrico Maso, Senior Vice President, Home Business, USA at Technogym; Prof. Michael Nurok, Co-chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at Cedars-Sinai, the hospital that will officially provide medical assistance to the athletes involved in the next Los Angeles Olympics.
With her introductory remarks, Consul General Valentini highlighted Italy’s role in international sport, focusing both on the economic contribution of the industry, which contributes 1.3% of GDP and boasts exports that have grown by 11.5% in the last five years, and on the successes achieved by “Team Italy”, and in particular its female team, at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, also citing the recent victory of the Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner at the US Open.
The Consul General also focused on the opportunity offered by the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympic Games in 2026 and on the major sporting events that Los Angeles will host in the next four years: apart from the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and Paralympic Games, the city will also host the US Open Golf Championship in 2025, the NBA All Star in 2026, the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and the Super Bowl in 2027. The discussion then focused on the Italian contribution to innovation, sustainability and inclusiveness in sport, wellness and nutrition, with a particular focus on the path towards the next Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
On the sidelines of the panel, some participants were able to try out the latest sports equipment offered by Technogym for the US market and taking part in a special training session. In preparation of the September 19 event, the Italian Cultural Institute in Los Angeles also hosted a special yoga class by Technogym that involved representatives from Italian Institutions in Los Angeles, influencers and personalities from the local community.
