The curtain rises for Naples, European Capital of Sport. And Naples does it by choosing a symbolic place such as the Sala dei Baroni del Maschio Angioino, where the program of an entire year of sport was officially presented. A title that will accompany the city for twelve intense months, punctuated by over one hundred competitive and promotional events, distributed across more than twenty disciplines, with the aim of combining major international events, grassroots sports and concrete impacts on the territory.
The presentation
A presentation dedicated to the memory of Davide Tizzano, president of the Italian Rowing Federation and two-time Olympic champion, who passed away on Monday. The 2026 calendar was born from the collaboration between the Municipality of Naples, Coni and Aces Europe and offers a multidisciplinary schedule that spans the entire year. It starts in January with the Campobasso Trophy, a real world championship for the Optimist mini skippers. Marco Gradoni, the skipper of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Youth Team who won the America’s Cup dedicated to young people in 2024, has twice entered his name in the Campobasso roll of honour. On January 11th the rowing Lysistrata will take to the water, dedicated to Davide Tizzano. The key event will be the opening of the European men’s volleyball championships, with the inaugural match between Italy and Sweden scheduled for 10 September in the setting of Piazza Plebiscito. Then the Coelmo Napoli City Half Marathon with 10,000 runners competing on February 22nd. In May, a stage of the Giro d’Italia will return for the fifth consecutive year, while 2026 will also be the year of the pre-regatta of the America’s Cup, a precursor to the great sailing event that Naples will host in 2027. The program also includes well-established events such as the Neapolis Marathon and the Napoli Bike Festival, the ATP Challenger 125 in tennis, the European Under 23 judo championships at the Palavesuvio in Ponticelli and the events of fencing. Alongside the competitions, great attention is paid to innovative and participatory formats: from the Notte Bianca dello Sport to the Pink Up Festival, up to the Sport Kids Festival, designed to encourage inclusion, sociality and bringing young people closer to the practice of sport. There will be no shortage of conferences, seminars, activities in schools and initiatives dedicated to well-being and the culture of sport. A central chapter concerns the topic of sports facilities. The challenge of the European Capital of Sport in fact represents a strategic opportunity to complete and enhance the redevelopment process of city structures, financed through ordinary resources, European funds and Pnrr.
The events
«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», explained the mayor Gaetano Manfredi, underlining the attention paid to young people and the suburbs. Also news from the mayor on the sports palace in eastern Naples: “We are at the environmental impact assessment phase. We will then start. Rebuild the Mario Argento too? If the conditions are there, why not” The municipal councilor for Sport, Emanuela Ferrante, also focused on the infrastructure and the social role of sport: «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 who will have all the attention it deserves to be able to express its potential and energy. In these four years we have worked to redevelop all the large sports facilities and we have allocated one million euros to the Municipalities for school gyms and local fields, which will be available to everyone”. The value of the candidacy and the path built in recent years was also reiterated by the president of Coni Campania, Sergio Roncelli: «The adventure of Naples as European Capital of Sport began three years ago. 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. The strength of sport is that it brings institutions into synergy. The Universiade taught us this.”
The protagonists
The presentation was attended by, among others, the regional delegate of ACES, Mauro Brancaccio and the president of the Italian Sports Press Union, Gianfranco Coppola. Naples is thus preparing to live a year as a protagonist, with an eye on major international events and a strong focus on the territory, the suburbs and the educational value of sport.
Related News :