The fifth edition of GenerAZIONE2026. The event, photos, statements, and statistics

It is truly inspiring to see how deeply the students have understood, discussed, and reflected on the values of inclusion and the true meaning of the Olympic and Paralympic spirit. I am truly proud of this great opportunity for such meaningful and collaborative work, carried out with the collaboration and support of the Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Veneto Region, the Veneto Regional Institute, the Verona Chamber of Commerce, and FICTS, alongside Prof. Ascani, the project’s creator. The students, guided by their exceptional teachers, produced projects for the educational activity on challenging themes such as “your emotional medal,” where the negative side of a situation is overcome by a positive action. I assure you these are works that open our eyes to what our youth are experiencing. Likewise, the projects on “your lifestyles”, including recipes from around the world designed for athletes to promote a healthy life, make this project a wonderful way to blend different forms of expression while celebrating the individual, sports, the community, and disability, including emotional disability, by discussing them together. I say “together” because together we create a more aware and better society. I thank the companies that believed in this project and welcomed the international delegates of FICTS.

In this edition, I would like to thank De Longhi S.p.A., Anfao, and Bottega Vini S.p.A. A heartfelt thank you to all the teachers, faculty, and school administrators, as well as to the families. This social framework has enabled 52,000 young people to experience and learn about the Olympic spirit and to embody the best legacy we could hope for.

The publication of the Thematic Dossier will allow us to adapt what we have built to other contexts. The award-winning documentary film “Il Sesto Cerchio” will continue to narrate and depict, through images and dialogue, the legacy of a vision lived today to create a future.

Projects like GenerAZIONE2026 represent the true legacy of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games: a legacy of values, relationships, and experiences that continues to live on in local communities and among young people, already looking ahead to upcoming international events such as the Dolomiti Valtellina 2028 Winter Youth Olympic Games. This is the vision shared by the “OCS – Observatory on Sport and Cultural Values – The Path of the Games,” created to transform Olympic values into concrete initiatives capable of leaving a lasting mark.

It was an important opportunity to reflect on the legacy left by the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games and on the role their values can continue to play in the growth of communities and future generations. Today, in a context of growing youth distress, we believe this initiative represents an important educational and social opportunity, offering young people tools for growth and inspiration through the values of sport, the international guests invited to the event, and the support of local businesses.

Young people from Treviso, Belluno, Verona, Padua, Rovigo, Venice, and Vicenza competed again this year, first against schools from the Veneto region and then against schools from Lombardy at the Arena in Milan, during the Grand Final of the Milan Cortina 2026 Trophies with the track racing events.

What stands out in the collection of testimonials produced as part of GenerAZIONE2026 – “Education of the Heart: The Two Sides of the Coin,” is the disarming authenticity of the protagonists’ voices. Children and young people have put into words challenges that often go unspoken: the fear of not being good enough, loneliness, loss, dyslexia, the fear of public speaking, of learning Italian, the days without their mother in the hospital. And alongside every challenge, a victory, small or large achieved through tenacity, with the help of a friend, a parent, or even a mascot.

GenerAZIONE2026 – says President Mario Pozza – has given us back something precious: the authentic voices of our young people. In their words, we found all the struggle, the fear, the loneliness, but also the strength to get back up, the joy of a friendship rediscovered, and the courage of those who choose not to give up. This project has shown that educating the heart is not a rhetorical exercise: it is a concrete act of listening and trusting young people.

The initiative attracted 15,100 participants, including 8,916 graphic submissions as well as videos and choreographies, which on Wednesday, May 13, the Jury, composed of the project’s partners, carefully reviewed during a three-hour meeting and voted to select the winners. In recent days, the organizing committee announced the winning schools and invited the students, teachers, and mayors of the municipalities where the winning schools are located to the awards ceremony at the Mario del Monaco Theater. In addition, 6,184 students took part in the “Emozioni Sportive di Classe” (“High-class sporting thrills”) initiative, a series of events dedicated to sports culture and the screening of exclusive Olympic videos from the International Olympic Committee Library and the FICTS Archive.

This edition was made even more significant by taking place in the year of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Thanks to the project, the younger generations experienced the Olympic Year as active participants, engaging with the values of the Games and sharing emotions and experiences through a journey of growth, participation, and active citizenship.

Among the most significant moments was the passage of the Olympic Flame through Treviso on January 22, 2026. The Torch stopped right in Piazza Borsa, in front of the headquarters of the Treviso-Belluno | Dolomiti Chamber of Commerce, offering students a unique opportunity to experience firsthand one of the most symbolic events on the journey toward Milan Cortina 2026. On that occasion, the young participants heard testimonials from Chamber of Commerce President Mario Pozza and Prof. Franco Ascani, President of FICTS (Fédération Internationale Cinéma Télévision Sportifs), exploring the meaning of the Olympic spirit and the value of the legacy that the Games leave to local communities and future generations.

The THEMATIC CONCEPT is encapsulated in the title itself, “The Sixth Circle,” a symbol of the invisible link that unites the five Olympic rings with the world of business and the future. It represents that extra value that cannot be seen but guides young people to become leaders, not only in sports, but also in society and the workplace. “The sixth circle” is: the ring of commitment, the bridge between sports and business, the symbol of a well-rounded education.

International Awards:

• “Futuro Vincente Award”: Sport Movie & TV 2025 – Milan
• “Best Short Film Award” at the Côte d’Azur Sport Film Festival 2026 – Monte Carlo

Among the participants, who were awarded the “FICTS Guirlande d’Honneur 2026,” are protagonists of the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games:  René De Silvestro (1 Gold, 2 Silvers, 1 Bronze), a star of Paralympic alpine skiing and a symbol of determination and resilience; Pietro Sighel (1 Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronzes), one of the leading international figures in Italian short track; Riccardo Lorello (1 Bronze), a young speed skating talent; Lorenzo Sommariva (1 Silver), one of the stars of the Italian Snowboard Cross team; Rossano Galtarossa (1 Gold, 2 Silvers, 1 Bronze), a legend of Italian rowing and current President of the Italian Canoe Federation; and Editor-in-Chief Giacomo Spartaco Bertoletti, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the magazines “Samurai” and “Sportivo.”