110 days of activities, more than 1,000 students involved in meetings promoting the true values of sport and healthy lifestyles in schools, and €46,000 raised to support two Italian centres of excellence: Fondazione Bambino Gesù Onlus and Progetto Filippide.
 These are just some of the figures achieved by “Sport for All, All for Sport”, the project promoted by OPES and implemented with the support of Poste Italiane.

Presented at the end of 2023 and officially launched on 1 January 2024, “Sport for All, All for Sport” was also a motto, an invitation, a statement, and a moment of sharing, awareness-raising and giving back.
Through meetings with students, fundraising activities and personal testimonials – while involving institutions, public and private bodies, schools, ambassadors, the world of grassroots sport and the Third Sector, as well as families – OPES achieved important milestones.

A Valuable Project Promoted by OPES

From explaining the final paragraph of Article 33 of the Italian Constitution (“The Republic recognises the educational, social and wellbeing-promoting value of sporting activity in all its forms”) to the testimonials of former athletes and positive role models for young people, “Sport for All, All for Sport” addressed a wide range of themes in upper secondary schools.

Among those who took part were Emanuele Blandamura, former European middleweight boxing champion, Valerio Vermiglio, Olympic silver medallist and former captain of the Italian men’s national volleyball team, and the association “I Miti dello Sport”.

In this way, OPES highlighted the social and educational role of sport, explained why sport can be described as a form of social immune defence, and passed on to teenagers those values that represent the foundations of our society.

“Sport for All, All for Sport” Is Also Solidarity: €46,000 Raised

Thanks to the solidarity, generosity and commitment of everyone who made a donation or supported the project by securing an item from the “Sport for All, All for Sport” sports memorabilia collection, OPES was able to raise €46,000.

Among the memorabilia were:

• AS Roma and Italian women’s national volleyball team jerseys, signed respectively by Romelu Lukaku and Paola Egonu
• a Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR) ball signed by the Italian national rugby team

This significant amount was officially donated on 18 April 2024 to support the valuable initiatives carried out by Fondazione Bambino Gesù Onlus and Progetto Filippide.

Statements by Morico, Onesti and Biasillo

“Sport for All, All for Sport” – said OPES National President Juri Morico – has represented, represents and will continue to represent our commitment to helping ensure access to sport for everyone. We firmly believe that sport, through its functions, its many forms and its impact in terms of social development, psycho-physical wellbeing, growth, education, health and the prevention of deviant behaviours, can generate value and contribute to building a society based on sound principles and positive values.

This project allowed us to give back to our community something of what sport has taught us and given us. We are proud to have passed on examples and concepts to students that will prove valuable for their growth, but even more proud to support the foundation of one of the most important paediatric hospitals in Italy and in the world, as well as an association that truly understands how much sport can help vulnerable individuals.

What unites us with Fondazione Bambino Gesù Onlus and Progetto Filippide is our shared commitment to promoting health and wellbeing, along with the desire to improve the world we live in. What we have raised is a small contribution on the path of medical and scientific progress and towards improving the quality of life of those at risk of marginalisation. At the same time, it carries a message of hope and trust and will have a social impact, generating value – an invaluable value.”

Tiziano Onesti, President of Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù and Fondazione Bambino Gesù Onlus, added:

“Every contribution made to the Bambino Gesù’s activities is extremely important to us, because it acknowledges the work and commitment of doctors, researchers and healthcare professionals who care for the most vulnerable children.

This recognition is even more meaningful when it comes from an organisation such as OPES, which in turn works for young people by encouraging sport and promoting not only psycho-physical wellbeing, but also the values of loyalty, friendship and teamwork. Different realities such as ours come together in a collaboration that helps build the future of families and of our country.”

Luca Biasillo, General Director of Progetto Filippide, concluded:

“Progetto Filippide thanks OPES for its tangible support and for deciding to embark on a journey with us that, we are certain, will be long-lasting and marked by many successes for the benefit of all our athletes.”

OPES would also like to thank Poste Italiane for supporting “Sport for All, All for Sport”, as well as all the individuals and organisations that, through their gestures of love, solidarity and altruism, contributed to the project.

Focus on the Two Outstanding Organisations Supported by the Fundraising Initiative

Fondazione Bambino Gesù ONLUS

Supporting Fondazione Bambino Gesù ONLUS means helping a centre of excellence and a point of reference such as Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital achieve its goals in development and research.
It also means supporting the daily commitment of the non-profit organisation and its doctors, researchers and staff to improve the quality of life of children and their families, train healthcare personnel in other countries, search for treatments for complex diseases, and save children with no access to any form of healthcare coverage.

Every contribution, in addition to supporting the social project “Mi prendo cura di te” (“I take care of you”), will help the foundation purchase state-of-the-art equipment and carry out prevention, training and counselling activities.

Progetto Filippide

Founded in 1983, always affiliated with the Italian Paralympic Committee (CIP) and, since 2019, associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications, the association Sport e Società, through Progetto Filippide, promotes and spreads sport for people with disabilities throughout Italy and internationally, as demonstrated by the presence of Progetto Filippide groups in Albania and the Dominican Republic.

Its mission is to show how sport can help people with intellectual disabilities or autism develop self-esteem, improve autonomy, and integrate into society.
Today, Progetto Filippide is recognised as an experimental training hub, particularly in athletics and swimming.