The Award Ceremony of the fourth edition of the Project GenerAZIONE2026 – Sport powered by Youth and Education, which will be held on Thursday 5 June at 17:00 at the Teatro Mario del Monaco in Treviso.
The ceremony will be preceded by the inauguration, at 4.30 p.m., of the photo exhibitions en plein air of the Olympic Exhibitions, of the students’ works, in the central Piazza Borsa, with the suggestive facade of the headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce Treviso-Belluno|Dolomiti “dressed” for the occasion.
GenerAZIONE2026 has enrolled 38 schools, including secondary and high school primary schools, and 42,200 female and male students have been involved in these four editions. This year the record with 12,210 participants also highlighting from the world of training, how this project has become a real educational movement, rooted in the territories of Treviso, Belluno and Verona.
The project has become part of the “Education Gen26” programme of the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026.
It will be a significant moment to reflect on the future and the role that the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games Milano Cortina 2026 may have in leaving a valuable legacy in the territories.
Today, in a context of growing youth discomfort, we believe that this initiative represents an important educational and social opportunity, offering girls and boys tools for growth and inspiration through the values of sport, international attendance invited for the event and proximity of companies.
The girls and boys of Treviso, Belluno and Verona also this year competed first between the Venetian teams and then with the teams of Lombardy at the arena in Milan, at the Trofei di Milano Cortina 2026 with races on track.
A school year of activity
It is the fourth year of activity throughout the school year with classroom lessons, interactive, exciting, that have captured moods, questions, surprises, curiosity and stories always followed by a dedicated tutor and, during the classes at the Casteller di Paese, also the presence of Prof. Franco Ascani and President Mario Pozza and the regional school office.
But how is one year’s work structured?
In order to compete, the participants had to design scenographic creations graphic reflections on different topics: “The city of the Games”, the activity consisted in drawing a city that has hosted or will host an edition of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. They had to draw the Athlete protagonist of the chosen edition. In “Your lifestyles” the activity consisted of drawing good nutrition prevention in action and writing a recipe and dish to eat healthy and give the best in sport. In “Sustainability Champion” the activity consisted of drawing a city that has hosted or will host an edition of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and draw the protagonist athlete. In “Education 4.0” the activity consisted of composing a text accompanied by a drawing or a video to highlight a correct use of technologies or a way to counter technological dependence.
All recorded 12,210 participants of which 6,859 graphic contributions, as well as videos and choreographies that the Jury, made up of the project partners, on Friday 23 May, in 3 hours of meeting, carefully examined and voted the winners. In these days the operating secretariat has communicated the winning schools and invited to the awards at the mario theater of Monaco girls, boys, teachers, teachers and mayors of the municipalities of the awarded schools. In addition, 4,500 students took part in the interactive Olympic video screenings and 851 students took part in motor activities.
24 Olympic medals presented at GenerAZIONE2026
An international event is set to celebrate the values of sport, culture and global cooperation. The fourth edition will see the participation of great champions of the sport, including 24 Olympic medals and guests of international importance who will share their experiences, inspire the public and bring unique testimonies of commitment and success. Among the protagonists – who will be awarded the “FICTS GUIRLANDE D’HONNEUR” – Olympic icons such as Josefa Idem (1 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze), legend of the canoe, ex-Minister for sport and symbol of sports emancipation; Matteo Tagliariol, Olympic gold and bronze in fencing; Mara Navarria (1 gold and 1 bronze), world-class florist; Angela Andreoli (1 silver), rising star of artistic gymnastics; Rigivan Ganeshamoorthy (1 gold), a young Paralympic talent specialized in throwing the weight, throwing the javelin and launching the F52 disc, Stefano Raimondi (6 gold, 5 silver and 2 bronze), Paralympic swimming champion at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 and Simone Deromedis, freestyle ski cross champion.
The world of football will be represented by Damiano Tommasi, Mayor of Verona, former footballer AS Roma, today a reference figure for civic commitment in sport and Aldo Serena, historical striker of the ’80s and ’90s Inter, Juventus, Milan and Turin.
To make the edition more significant will be the presence of 40 delegates FICTS– Fédération Internationale Cinéma Télévision Sportifs (recognized by the International Olympic Committee), from 30 countries (selected among 130 members) including Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, China, France, Greece, I.R. Iran, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Korea, Mexico, Norway, Netherlands, Czech Rep. Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Ukraine, Uganda, Hungary, USA, Uzbekistan. An international network that confirms the central role of Italy in the global sports and cultural scene.
The picture is completed by representatives of the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation in view of the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, representatives of Italian entrepreneurship, the Chamber of Commerce and Industrial Associations, to witness the union between sport, Economy, enterprise and sustainable development. It will be a celebration of sport as an instrument for dialogue, growth and sharing. An unmissable appointment to look to the future with passion, energy and vision.
GenerAZIONE2026 is a project imbued with deep educational commitment and a significant catalyst for human growth – says the President of FICTS Professor Franco Ascani– (member of the Culture Commission of the IOC). The meetings that have characterized and characterize this initiative serve as a platform to promote dialogue and sharing between the sports and educational fields, aiming to spread an inclusive culture of sport, health, prevention, “active lifestyles” and Olympism”.
The project, now in its fourth edition, for the value it expresses and for the will that it can be extended to other realities looking at the value of youth training, has this year written its own Thematic Dossier in Italian and English with the inspirational contents of the project. The Thematic Dossier will be delivered to FICTS delegates and IOC representatives and to the competent authorities.
The documentary film “Sesto cerchio” is also being produced by the Chamber of Commerce of Treviso – Belluno|Dolomiti. The objectives of the docufilm are to recount the experience of GenerAZIONE2026: highlight impact, values, four-year activities; value young people, training and sport: central elements of the project, numbers; make visible the role of institutions and enterprises: Entrepreneurship, partnership, vision; creating inspiration, involvement, emotion: not only inform, but really involve.
It is a hybrid between documentary and inspirational short, with testimonies, evocative images, storytelling, and a cinematic but concrete tone.
The THEMATIC CONCEPT is mentioned in the same title “The Sixth Circle” symbol of the invisible ring that unites the five Olympic circles with the world of business and the future. It is about that extra value that is not seen but that drives young people to become protagonists, not only in sport, but also in society and work. The “sixth circle” is: the ring of commitment, the bridge between sport and business, the symbol of a complete education.
Valeria Mantovan Regional Councillor for Employment, Education, Training and Equal Opportunities:
GenerAZIONE 2026 is a virtuous example of how institutions can work together to give young people concrete tools to grow and actively contribute to society. Through education, culture and sport, we are promoting core values such as inclusion, sustainability and well-being. This project is not only an opportunity to get closer to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, but also an opportunity to build together the future of our community. I would like to thank the promoters of the project – the Veneto Region, FICTS, the Chambers of Commerce of Treviso-Belluno|Dolomiti and Verona, and the Regional School Office – for creating such an innovative initiative. Thanks also to the teachers, school leaders and families who have supported the children in this journey.
Mario Pozza President of the Chamber of Commerce of Treviso – Belluno|Dolomiti:
The future will be predictable if we work on young people who will be the future of our society and the Italian economy – highlights with conviction the President of the Chamber of Commerce of Treviso – Belluno|Dolomiti e Assocamerestero Mario Pozza -. For four years we have been working At a time when we often tend to neglect the role of the new generations, we have chosen to go against the trend, putting young people at the center. We believed in them, listened to their ideas and gave room to their enthusiasm. And today we can proudly say that this choice has made a difference. We work at GenerAZIONE2026 always thinking about the good economy able to put the person at the center. We wanted to make visible and concrete the values that inspire this path through a Thematic Dossier that puts black on white the values that inspired the project made of content, values, visions because we have the responsibility to anticipate, to accompany and listen. Great transformations are happening, great changes experienced with difficulty by families and companies in an international context that as president of Assocamerestero live directly with the network of Italian Chambers of Commerce in the world and missions abroad, where I brought this important experience of GenerAZIONE2026. Now with the Treviso Campus of the University Cà Foscari and the Italian Chamber in Thailand we will create new opportunities for young people and businesses. We aim at the legacy of GenerAZIONE2026 because the Olympic and Paralympic Games are also this, a heritage to be preserved. We also do this with the creation of a docufilm “The Sixth Circle” symbol of the invisible ring that unites the five Olympic circles with the world of business and the future. I thank the FICTS delegates and CIO representatives because for four years they have been talking about Treviso and Cortina in the world and this is a promotion of great importance for our territories. Thanks to Prof. Ascani for the expertise and the network of relations that have made Treviso and Belluno the focus of attention for four years, in this “3 Days of GenerAZIONE2026”.
Giuseppe Riello, president of the Chamber of Commerce of Verona:
The Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina 2026 represent an extraordinary opportunity not only to enhance our cultural and natural heritage or to strengthen infrastructure, but also to ignite in young people the spark of healthy sport and fair competition. Through the Olympic spirit we can transmit values of commitment, respect, inclusion and passion, leaving a lasting mark in the social fabric of our territory. It is with this same spirit that we enthusiastically support “GenerAZIONE2026”, an initiative aimed at making this very territory a protagonist and proactive in a synergistic and collective promotion effort.
Prof. Franco Ascani President of FICTS Member of the Commission for Culture and Olympic Heritage of the International Olympic Committee:
GenerAZIONE2026, included in the “Education Gen26” programme of Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, demonstrates that investing in young people means building a more equitable, dynamic and sustainable society, Giving life to an educational model that can inspire and transform realities in every corner of the world. These partnerships demonstrate how sport can become a vehicle for social, cultural and economic growth, through networking strategies that involve institutions that aim to build a better future for society by putting the young generations at the heart of an institutional and federal system. Sport, culture and entrepreneurship for a sustainable future.
Exhibitions: Verona and Treviso will host the Olympic and Paralympic exhibitions with 325 exclusive Olympic and Paralympic photographic installations.
Involvement of citizens to broaden the message: in Piazza Borsa interventions by the authorities, exhibitions the palace dressed GenerAZIONE2026, The historic band of Corpo Bandistico di Moriago della Battaglia founded in 1827 will open the event with the performance of songs shared with the city and guests. All this is GenerAZIONE2026.
