Naples is preparing to live 12 months as the European Capital of Sport, with a very rich calendar of 100 events for over 20 disciplines. The program and the guidelines that the Neapolitan city will undertake starting from January 1st were presented during an event held in a symbolic place such as the Sala dei Baroni del Maschio Angioino.
The meeting opened with a moving memory and dedication to Davide Tizzano, president of the Italian Rowing Federation and twice gold medalist at the Olympics, who passed away prematurely in the last few hours.
The program
The program, the result of collaboration between the Municipality of Naples, CONI and ACES, offers a multidisciplinary schedule of events that embraces numerous sports. The highlight will certainly be the opening of the European Volleyball Championships in September with the inaugural match between Italy and Sweden in the evocative setting of Piazza Plebiscito. Then in May there will be the arrival of a stage of the Giro d’Italia for the fifth year in a row, with a continuous eye on the start of the great sailing America’s Cup machine.
It starts in January with the Marechiaro School Volley Cup and ends in December with the Winter Rowing Fest, a promotional regatta in the waters of Molosiglio.
Other noteworthy events include the Neapolis Marathon, the Napoli Bike Festival, the ATP Challenger 125 tennis event on the red clay of Tc Napoli from 23 to 29 March, the European Under 23 Judo Championships which will take place at the Palavesuvio in Ponticelli, the fencing events with the European Circuit and the national Masters test on 7 and 8 March, with more than 500 athletes, aged 24 and over, who they will arrive in the city for the national competition and for the prestigious continental event.
The calendar will also include innovative formats such as the Notte Bianca dello Sport, the Pink Up Festival and the Sport Kids Festival, designed to encourage inclusion and participation.
The focus on sports facilities
The challenge of being the European Capital of Sport will also be important for Naples in terms of sports facilities. The structures redeveloped with ordinary resources, European funds and PNRR – explains the Municipality – will be up to the task of events, leaving a legacy for the city that will last over time.
“The 2026 program includes numerous sporting events organized together with CONI, national federations and local entities, but it will also be a year dedicated to completing the redevelopment of sports facilities, to ensure a lasting legacy of this experience. Naples will be a protagonist of European sport, with major events such as the start of the America’s Cup, the Giro d’Italia which returns to the city once again and the inaugural match of the European Volleyball Championships. Plenty of space for competitive sport, but not only that: numerous initiatives dedicated to young people, with particular attention to the suburbs”, stated the mayor Gaetano Manfredi.
“On the eve of this year in which we will be the European Capital of Sport, my thanks go to the entire Neapolitan sporting world which has always done so much for our city and which will have all the attention it deserves to be able to express its potential and energy. As regards infrastructure, in these four years we have worked to redevelop all the large sports facilities. Furthermore, we have allocated one million euros to the Municipalities for school gyms and local fields, which will be available to all”, explained the municipal councilor for sport Emanuela Ferrante.
“The adventure of Naples as European Capital of Sport began three years ago and CONI took action to create everything that was functional to support the city’s candidacy and then to host the events that will take place here. We will involve not only the large historical federations, but also the smaller ones, to tell young people that there are many sports that can prepare them to face life”, were the words of the president of the CONI Campania Regional Committee, Sergio Roncelli.
The memory of Davide Tizzano
“We wanted to dedicate this day to Davide Tizzano because he embodied the most important values of sport and sport in Naples,” recalled sports councilor Ferrante.
“Davide Tizzano was a great athlete and a great manager, but above all a man always ready to bring the message of the positive values of sport to young people. It is no coincidence that he was an ambassador of sport for CONI”, concluded the president of the CONI Campania Regional Committee, Sergio Roncelli.
