FLORENCE, 16 June 2026 – Two new outstanding personalities are set to join the Fair Play Menarini International Award. Paralympic fencing icon Bebe Vio and renowned sports commentator Fabio Caressa will be among the protagonists of the 30th edition of the Award, taking place on 2 July at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence.

Their names enrich an already exceptional line-up of awardees, alongside Armand Duplantis, Gianfranco Zola, Gregorio Paltrinieri, Achille Polonara, Antonella Palmisano, Chiara Mazzel, Daniele Garozzo, Simone Anzani and the trio of Davide Ghiotto, Andrea Giovannini and Michele Malfatti.

Maurizio Mancianti (President of Panathlon Club Florence); Lt. Margherita Magnani (Officer in Command of the 2nd Athletes Unit of the Fiamme Gialle Sports Group); Lt. Col. Marco Pantanella (Head of Training and Studies Office, Fiamme Gialle Sports Group); Filippo Paganelli (Board Member of the Fair Play Menarini Foundation); Luca Lastrucci (Chairman of the Fair Play Menarini Foundation); Letizia Gioffredi (Finalist for the Fiamme Gialle "Study and Sport" Special Award); Azzurra Severini (Winner of the Fiamme Gialle "Study and Sport" Special Award); Tancredi Mancuso (Finalist for the Fiamme Gialle "Study and Sport" Special Award); Valeria Speroni Cardi (Board Member of the Fair Play Menarini Foundation); Simone Cardullo (President of the CONI Tuscany Regional Committee); Giancarlo Antognoni (Fair Play Menarini Award Ambassador).

An international symbol of courage, resilience and sporting excellence, Bebe Vio is one of the most celebrated Paralympic athletes of her generation. A Paralympic champion and multiple world and European foil medallist, she has now embarked on a new challenge in Para-athletics. Alongside her competitive activity, she supports the art4sport Foundation, which funds, studies and creates prosthetics for children and youth with disabilities, promoting access to Paralympic sport.

Fabio Caressa, one of Italy’s most recognisable sports broadcasters, will receive the Franco Lauro Special Award “Narrating Emotions”. Through his unmistakable style, passion and storytelling talent, he has accompanied some of the most memorable moments in Italian sporting history, transforming competition into shared emotion.

The announcement was made in Florence during the press conference presenting the 2026 edition of the Award. The event also celebrated the next generation of sporting talent through the Fair Play Menarini Special Fiamme Gialle “Study and Sport” Award, established by the Fair Play Menarini Foundation in collaboration with CONI Tuscany and the Sports Division of the Guardia di Finanza. This year’s recognition went to Azzurra Severini, a rising star of beach sprint rowing and an outstanding student, alongside finalists Tancredi Mancuso and Letizia Gioffredi.

Filippo Paganelli (Board Member of the Fair Play Menarini Foundation); Valeria Speroni Cardi (Board Member of the Fair Play Menarini Foundation); Lt. Margherita Magnani (Officer in Command of the 2nd Athletes Unit of the Fiamme Gialle Sports Group); Lt. Col. Marco Pantanella (Head of Training and Studies Office, Fiamme Gialle Sports Group); Simone Cardullo (President of the CONI Tuscany Regional Committee); Tancredi Mancuso (Finalist for the Fiamme Gialle "Study and Sport" Special Award); Letizia Gioffredi (Finalist for the Fiamme Gialle "Study and Sport" Special Award); Azzurra Severini (Winner of the Fiamme Gialle "Study and Sport" Special Award); Luca Lastrucci (Chairman of the Fair Play Menarini Foundation); Giancarlo Antognoni (Fair Play Menarini Award Ambassador); Letizia Perini (Florence City Councillor for Sport).

“Welcoming Bebe Vio and Fabio Caressa to the Fair Play Menarini family is a source of great pride,” said Luca Lastrucci, Valeria Speroni Cardi and Filippo Paganelli, the Fair Play Menarini Foundation Board Members - “They embody two essential dimensions of sport: the ability to inspire through extraordinary achievements and the ability to share emotions through storytelling. At the same time, the Special Fiamme Gialle ‘Study and Sport’ Award highlights the importance of balancing athletic excellence with education, encouraging young people to pursue their ambitions both in the competition field and in the academic one.”