History

The island of Procida was the Italian Capital of Culture for the year 2022, and the project “Procida: where sport is culture too” has the merit of having confirmed that sport is culture.

The sociologist Prof. Gennaro Testa, creator of the project and of the FairPlay passport, has identified an implementation path for its transformation into an “International FairPlay Passport”, which began its journey from the place where the Olympic Games were born, launching a strong message of symbolism in Sport values.

The “Fair Play Passport” sets sail from the small island of Procida, with the liveliness of its territory, towards the whole world, as a testimony of educational, integrated and sustainable sport, with a broad gaze on the future, not only fantasy, which is always needed, but concreteness of the journey, towards the achievement of the most important objectives: respect and peace.

The "Fair Play Passport" from Procida arrives in Ancient Olympia, a messenger and witness of values of sociability, the ability to accept challenges, full of precious educational tools and personal and social growth factors:

• the path from equal opportunities to equal dignity,
• the evolution of the culture of selection to the culture of inclusion,
• the right to be protagonists without the obligation to be champions,
• experiencing disability not as a world apart, but a part of the sporting world,

The “Fair Play Passport” transmits all its values to the new and unprecedented “International FairPlay Passport” and, in Ancient Olympia, with an official ceremony, certifies and bears witness to its birth.

The event was organized during an educational visit of around 220 school students. It was a special occasion for the presentation and promotion of the International FairPlay Passport, and the link with the Ancient Olympia site made it unique.

The International FairPlay Passport is an institution that creates value for society and for sport.

The event included an exceptional choreography, inspired by the choreographer Artemis Ignatiou, famous for the traditional quadrennial lighting ceremony of the Olympic Flame.

Seven dancers, in their characteristic costumes, made the birth of the International FairPlay Passport at the Pierre de Coubertin monument in the structure of the International Olympic Academy of Olympia.

All phases of the event were videotaped to create a professional video.

In the beautiful Stadium of Ancient Olympia, surrounded by flags from around the world, a drone flying above filmed the students, who were running freely in all directions, announcing, in an exciting way, the start of the journey of the ‘International FairPlay Passport’ to all parts of the world.

In addition, the passport was handed over to the authorities and to all students during the event.

Furthermore, a questionnaire about what constitutes fair play and what does not was prepared and given to the students.

Finally, then, there will be a declaration, which will be signed by those who embrace the Olympic ideals, and essentially, a network of people who embrace fair play can be built.

In the future, it will be possible to record data by country and at Ancient Olympia, collecting information from all nations for interesting application studies. Beyond the massive hype surrounding the Olympic Games, it is undeniable that they maintain a very strong symbolic appeal. Beneath and within the competition among athletes, the set of Sport values reappears: fair play, participation, friendship, loyalty, solidarity, commitment, respect, courage, self-improvement, peace, equality, and internationalism.

It is this enlightened humanism that gives the Games an attraction capable of involving the whole world, regardless of cultural differences, and which goes beyond the mere sporting spectacle. As such, they hold unrivaled potential to shape popular culture globally, and the International FairPlay Passport embodies that spirit.