At the base of Tokyo – Comment

From Alessandro Vespignani – More than 400 new gyms and a rich program of interventions to modernize sports facilities, especially those within schools and city parks. Black on white, this is the PNRR roadmap for the next five years. We start right away with a billion investment thanks to European money. However, skepticism is inevitable given that “reviving popular sports, especially school sports”, is an old mantra that spans generations, such as building a bridge over a strait or reforming the justice system. Thousands of statements and promises (such as the one that stepped up to the “US model” knowing from the start that exporting it was, indeed, impossible in Italy), but very poor results. Is it the right time? We all hope so: it will be a triple social and cultural leap for girls and boys and their families with enormous benefits, including economic benefits, for Italy. Olympic victories and the growth of popular sport are (or rather should be) two sides of the same coin.