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Julio Velasco was awarded the 2024 International “Mecenate dello Sport” Prize, deliverder by Giovanni Malagò, president of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI), and Giovanni Di Pietro, president of the Varaldo Di Pietro Foundation, which promotes the award under the patronage of CONI and the National Association of Journalists.
The ceremony, held in the Hall of Honor at CONI headquarters in Rome and hosted by journalist and sports executive Matteo Marani, marked the 11th edition of the award. It was presented to the head coach of the Italian women’s national volleyball team, who recently won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics and boasts an extraordinary sporting career.
“Thank you for this important award, as it reflects the values of sport,” said Julio Velasco, who also announced the continuation of his tenure with the national team: “I still feel the tiger’s eyes. I will be there for Los Angeles 2028. President Manfredi and I are in agreement, and discussions are already underway. After the Olympics, I reflected deeply, and I realized I still have the hunger needed to lead the national team.”
While presenting the award, Giovanni Di Pietro stated: “This recognition honors an extraordinary man of sport, a mentor in life who has elevated Italian sports with his teachings, always grounded in the great values of sport. It is an honor for us to include him in our prestigious list of honorees, as an exceptional figure of our time. We also proudly presented a special award to President Giovanni Malagò for the achievements of Italian sport and his outstanding contributions as a top sports executive. With Velasco, we celebrate a remarkable sports story centered on Italy and a global sports icon like Velasco, a philosopher of volleyball who combines exceptional technical expertise with profound humanity and cultural depth.”
CONI President Giovanni Malagò received a special award for overseeing what has been the most successful Olympics ever for Italian sport in Paris. Julio Velasco joins a prestigious list of previous “Mecenate dello Sport” recipients, including Massimo Moratti, Nerio Alessandri, Claudio Ranieri, Timothy Shriver Kennedy, Lavinia Biagiotti, Javier Zanetti, Piero Ferrari, Bebe Vio, and the Pietro Mennea Foundation.
