The journey of the 28th Fair Play Menarini International Award continues. Following the spectacular award ceremony on 4 July, the event honouring the pinnacle of loyalty and fair play in sports concludes the year with the talk show The Champions Tell their Stories, to be held on 30 November at 5:00 pm in the Salone dei Cinquecento of Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.

“Champions, who represent the world of sport in various capacities, have been called upon as standard bearers of values that are equally valid on the playing fields as in life – emphasised Letizia Perini, Sports Councillor for Florence – The stories of their lives, successes in their respective fields of sport and the sacrifices made to achieve them, their courage, strength and determination to pick themselves up after every setback, in sport and in life, resonate with us all. I would like to thank the Fair Play Menarini Foundation for championing this important mission with perseverance and passion”.

The names of the participants, and the details of this all-new winter version of The Champions Tell their Stories, were revealed during the press conference today. High profile athletes, who have embodied the highest values of sport throughout their careers, will once again be present. The football legends include none other than the Argentinian defender Javier Zanetti, Inter Milan’s long-time captain and Fair Play Menarini Ambassador since 2023. Borja Valero, the Spanish mid-fielder, symbol and ever-popular idol of the Fiorentina team, will also take part in the talk show. 

Volleyball will be represented by the “maestro” himself, Andrea Zorzi, two-times world champion with Italvolley and winner of the Fair Play Menarini Award in 2010, together with up-and-coming star, Ekaterina Antropova, a gold medal winner at the last Olympic Games in Paris. A moving story of solidarity and friendship comes from the world of athletics, and the triple jump in particular, starring Andy Diaz, who won his first Olympic medal in Italian colours at Paris 2024 after leaving Cuba, and his coach, Fabrizio Donato, bronze medal winner in the same discipline at London 2012, who welcomed him into his home and helped him settle into his new country.

The star-studded parade continues with Rigivan Ganeshamoorthy, the revelation of Paralympic athletics who won a gold in the discus throw a few months ago in Paris, improving on the world record three times in a row. Giuliano Razzoli, the Olympic slalom champion at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games and Fair Play Menarini Ambassador one year later, takes us to the ski slopes. Lastly, the audience will be captivated by the emotion-packed stories of journalist Federico Buffa, winner in July of the 28th Fair Play Menarini International Award in the “Narrating Emotions” category.

A prominent sports authority like Ivan Zazzaroni, Fair Play Menarini Ambassador in 2019 and Chief Editor of the Corriere dello Sport newspaper, commented on the names of the talk show participants as follows.

“I am sure that this year, once again, The Champions Tell their Stories will offer a unique range of viewpoints, with an interesting exchange of insights and anecdotes between the new champions and sporting icons, coming from different backgrounds and disciplines. I still remember the depth of the insights shared by the likes of Ian Thorpe, Tommie Smith, and Edwin Moses”.

The Champions Tell their Stories talk show, produced in partnership with Sky TG24, will be broadcast live on Sky’s Channel 501 from 5:00 pm onwards. The show will be presented by Rachele Sangiuliano, former volleyball champion, and Sky Sport hosts, Omar Schillaci and Michele Cagiano, Deputy Director of Sky TG24, together with Alessandro Acton, journalist and Sky Sport host.

“We are really looking forward to this unique moment of collaboration, especially in such a fantastic setting as the Salone dei Cinquecento – said Valeria Speroni Cardi and Filippo Paganelli, Board Members of the Fair Play Menarini Foundation – We would like to offer our heartfelt thanks to the Municipality of Florence, which has shared the values of the Award for many years now. We hope that this new edition of The Champions Tell their Stories will provide younger generations food for thought and examples for life”.