Fair Play Menarini promotes sport and study, the Award to two talented young people

Florence, 26 June 2025 – Sport teaches you to learn from your mistakes, like studying: both forge perseverance, discipline and willpower. This bond is at the heart of the press conference to present the 29th edition of the Menarini International Fair Play Award in Florence, which was held this morning, 26 June, in the Sala Pegaso of Palazzo Guadagni Strozzi Sacrati, headquarters of the Tuscany Region. While waiting for the official days of the Award, scheduled for 2 and 3 July between Florence and Fiesole, the special Fiamme Gialle “Study and Sport” Award was also awarded, intended for young champions who have distinguished themselves by achieving excellent results both in sport and at school. The ceremony was attended by the President of the Tuscany Region Eugenio Giani, the mayor of Fiesole Cristina Scaletti and the Councilor for Sport of the Municipality of Florence Letizia Perini.

"Tuscany is proud to once again host the Menarini International Fair Play Award, an event that celebrates not only the great champions of sport, but above all the universal values ​​of respect, loyalty and commitment – ​​said Eugenio Giani, President of the Tuscany Region – This year, with the Fiamme Gialle 'Studio e Sport' special award, we want to underline the importance of combining competitive and academic excellence, demonstrating that discipline, dedication and passion are fundamental in every area of ​​life. Margherita Voliani, Leonardo Mazzoni and Sara Mannini perfectly represent this spirit: young talents who, with determination, have been able to reconcile sporting results and success in their studies, becoming role models for the new generations. Florence and Fiesole, with their extraordinary cultural and sporting heritage, are the ideal stage for this celebration, and the Tuscany Region is alongside initiatives like this, which promote a future based on ethics, education and merit".

Once again, Florence and Fiesole will welcome, on Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 July , the legends of sport, undisputed symbols of fair play and clean play. The 2025 edition of the Award will pay homage to great protagonists of the international sports scene, including Gianmarco Tamberi, Nadia Battocletti, Blanka Vlasic, Andy Diaz, Rigivan Ganeshamoorthy, Demetrio Albertini, Arianna Errigo, Alice Bellandi, Sasha Vujacic and Guido Meda: exemplary athletes and professionals who embody the values ​​of fair play, respect and integrity.

"It is truly a great honor and a privilege to host Fair Play Menarini in the Roman Theater of Fiesole and to fully share its values ​​of loyalty, respect, friendship and sports ethics that are perfectly in line with the themes of the candidacy for Fiesole as Italian capital of culture 2028 - said Cristina Scaletti, mayor of Fiesole - Sport is culture in all respects, a profound expression of a community and a universal language".

"This event has now played a crucial role in promoting fair play – underlined Letizia Perini, Councilor for Sport of the Municipality of Florence – Florence has a strong sporting vocation linked to social issues and our commitment is to make sport accessible to all, enhancing every discipline, but also promoting fair play, that set of values ​​and behaviors that go beyond simple respect for the rules, including loyalty, honesty, respect for others and team spirit, both in victory and in defeat. Fair play is what we need today: we consider it a model of coexistence to be exported to every context of social life".

Established in collaboration with CONI Toscana and the Guardia di Finanza Sports Groups, the Fiamme Gialle “Study and Sport” special award was given to Margherita Voliani , a promising middle-distance runner for Libertas Unicusano Livorno. Born in 2005, Margherita stood out in 2023 by winning the Italian junior title in the 5,000 meters, while last April she won the bronze medal at the Italian Promise Championships in the 10,000 meters. Alongside her sporting career, she is also committed to her academic career: she is enrolled in the Biotechnology course at the University of Pisa, where she stands out as a brilliant student. Thanks to this recognition, she will be able to access the Guardia di Finanza Sports Center in Castelporziano, where she will have the opportunity to perfect her athletic training together with the other two finalists of the Fiamme Gialle “Study and Sport” award: middle-distance runner Leonardo Mazzoni and rugby player Sara Mannini .

"The main objective of the Menarini International Fair Play Award is to convey to new generations the importance of authentic and universal values: educating through sport is not a utopia but a concrete mission – said Valeria Speroni Cardi and Filippo Paganelli, members of the board of the Menarini Fair Play Foundation – With the Fiamme Gialle 'Study and Sport' special award we want to reward young people who have been able to combine sporting and scholastic challenges, and promote the message that this is always possible, but requires great commitment, serenity and correctness".

The 29th edition sees the partnership between the Menarini International Fair Play Award and Sky TG24, which will accompany the story of the event, once again. The conduction will be entrusted to Rachele Sangiuliano, Michele Cagiano and Omar Schillaci, called to guide the public through words and images together with other narrators of emotions, including Federico Buffa. The 29th Menarini International Fair Play Award sees the participation of the Istituto per il Credito Sportivo e Culturale as an institutional partner, and of Sustenium, Frecciarossa, Estra and Adiacent as partners of the initiative.