Four champions teach the values of sport to the children of Sassari. This morning in Piazza d'Italia the last stage, for 2023, of the 22nd edition of the "A champion for a friend" project, one of the longest-running Italian educational-sports events.
The testimonials of the event, promoted by Banca Generali, are Adriano Panatta, Ciccio Graziani, Andrea Lucchetta and Martin Leandro Castrogiovanni. «We are here above all to entertain them - states the first, unforgettable legend of Italian and international tennis - and to make them go away with a smile».
«The advice we give - adds Graziani, world champion with the national football team in '82 - is that they leave their cell phones and iPads to get busy on the field with the ball. Unfortunately, we have seen that too many children don't play sports."
The square was divided into four fields where the champions taught the young athletes the basics of their sport but above all values such as integration and respect for the opponent. «Sport is a right - underlines the rugby player Castrogiovanni - and so is a school that transmits discipline to those who practice it».
The event, sponsored by CONI, CIP and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, was welcomed with enthusiasm by the hundreds of children present. «It's the extra ingredient we give - declares Lucchetta, one of the greatest interpreters of Italian volleyball and, among the many trophies, winner of the World Cup in 1990 - entertainment. Furthermore, I am happy to be here because I have Sardinia in my heart."