An evening dedicated to sport, the protagonists were the bonds of friendship and fellowship between Italy and Japan at the Italian Embassy in Tokyo, which hosted Ducati's racing cars ahead of the Japanese MotoGP Grand Prix, this Sunday in Motegi, round 16 of the 2024 championship.
"Sport is an extraordinary vehicle of social aggregation, as well as a historically established form of entertainment, and has the exceptional ability to manifest the pride of an entire nation at certain sporting moments," said Ambassador Gianluigi Benedetti addressing a large audience of sports fans and celebrities present at the residence, recalling how in Tokyo, in collaboration with the institutions of the Sistema Paese, companies and sports federations, the "winning combination of diplomacy and sport has proved particularly effective. From the 'Beauty in a Gesture' event, organised in December 2022 and dedicated to the fencing federations, to the introduction of the Ryder Cup golf tournament in Rome in April 2024, with the presence of Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Japanese professional female players; as well as the presentation of the Italian trophy desired by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for the winner of the most important Sumo tournament, and lastly the initiative dedicated to rugby last summer, with the participation of the Italian team in the friendly match between the respective national teams held in Hokkaido.
Among the many people present, in addition to the Borgo Panigale manufacturer's riders, Franco Morbidelli and Enea Bastianini, the President and board member of the Japanese Paralympic Committee, Kazuyuki Mori and Kaori Hoshi, and Alberto Zaccheroni, former coach of the Japanese national football team between 2010 and 2014, fresh from the recognition of the Japanese federation that admitted him into the 'Hall of Fame'.
Sport is also a synonym for passion and indissoluble bonds: a special memory went to the former icon of the Italian national team and top scorer of Italia '90, Totò Schillaci, who passed away last month at the age of 59, recounted with heartfelt emotion by Toshiya Fujita, former teammate and now sports director of Jubilo Iwata, the team where the Sicilian bomber played from 1994 to 1997, winning the J-League championship. On display for fans and supporters was the official jersey worn by the player.
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