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Once upon a time the field of Via Moscova.

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This story is set a few short steps
from this theatre,

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a stone's throw from Duomo Square.

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It was 1979.

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The year when this photo was taken,

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Jody Scheckter, in Monza,
becomes Formula 1 champion,

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and AC Milan earns its tenth star
in the national title,

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and Pietro Mennea sets
an unbelievable record,

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19"72 in the 200 metres.

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Just imagine that 40 years on, even now,

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the record is unbeaten
at a European level.

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No European has ever run faster than him.

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But above all, something happens

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that changed forever the history
of an area of Milan.

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The United Nations proclaim 1979
the International Year of the Child.

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Something that would normally
make no difference.

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And yet Carlo Tognoli,
back then mayor of Milan,

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decides to do something.

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So he seizes the opportunity

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and clears the area
in front of Via Moscova 26

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from the rubble of a bombing
of the Second World War

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and he realises a football field.

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All right, it isn't a glamourous place,

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it's an esplanade with two goals,
which soon rust, and a basketball court;

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but I assure you,
it was a magnificent place,

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because it had a noble mission:

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sports for the youth.

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I remember that field
as if it were yesterday.

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I went there every day,
with my ball under my arm,

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it was five minutes from home,
but it only took me three to get there.

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I couldn't wait to get to the field.

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It was the neighbourhood's Maracanà.

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A theatre of memorable battles.

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For instance, I remember the derby

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between the clerks of the INAIL building

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and the funeral home
employees in Porta Nuova.

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(Laughter)

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So no applauses: people would keep
their hands in their pockets.

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(Laughter)

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And then there was -

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(Applause)

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And then there was the super-classic

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between the Carabinieri
from the barracks you see up there,

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and the male nurses
of the Fatebenefratelli hospital,

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and they beat each other like drums:
Florentine football, more than football.

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Regardless, aside from
these unmissable fixtures,

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the field had become in the 1980s

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an exceptional meeting, socialisation spot
for the neighbourhood,

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where kids like me were doing -
without knowing, and this is key -

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one of the healthiest things
anyone can do in life: sports.

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So up to here
the story goes nice and dandy.

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But it didn't.

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Because something big arrives,
something huge,

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which puts an end to the story
of the field, and of the 1980s.

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Do you know what? The 1990s.

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And Milan turns into Swiss cheese,

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holes were dug up everywhere
to build underground car parks.

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Even under your house
I'm sure there was some big hole:

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there were holes in Gramsci Square,
one in San Ambrogio, 25th April square -

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Guys, could a hole be missing
in Via Moscova? Of course no.

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And guess where did they dig?
Where the field was.

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Here was the end of the endless games,

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the end of the memorable battles.

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Does the story of the field end here?

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No. It depends.

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Good, that's how I like you.

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It depends. On whom? On us.

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Because, if there's one thing I learnt,
one thing I learnt over these years

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is that it everything
always depends on us.

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So, if we don't want this story to end

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with only a handful of extra car parks,

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I'm asking for your help,
because I won't go very far by myself.

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So I'm asking all of you
to stand up with me.

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I'll make you work even on a Sunday.

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Everybody up?

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Put your hands behind your backs,

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so we'll also beat the record

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of the highest number of old dudes
watching a construction site.

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(Laughter)

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And imagine how this story may end.

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Because it is true that a void
is a problem; it must be filled.

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Some do so buying a motorcycle,
or a pair of shoes.

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This is a huge void,
we need to fly higher.

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So who says that, in the end,
on top of the car park layers

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we can't put some icing

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and realise a football field
that is nicer and stronger than before?

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[It takes] a bit of creativity
and enthusiasm.

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So we can pick up from where we left off,

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so no one is taking away
our football field.

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And what about Mennea's record?
Shall we try to beat it?

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We need an athletics track,

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and a building licence.

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François said so, I'm from Cagliari,
and I miss the beach so bad,

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so let's dream big,

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let's pick up some sand
and let's build a beach volley court.

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Don't ask me to bring over the sea,

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we'll do instead "Italian style",
something creative,

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let's build a basketball court,
and let's paint it blue, sea-like.

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Thank you, you may sit down now,

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because we declare
the construction complete,

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the fastest building job in history.

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We finished it in one minute.

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You won't believe it, but -

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(Applause)

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Unity is strength.

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But what we daydreamt for a minute

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is exactly what I was faced with

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when I took a walk and went to see
the end of works, in 2013.

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We owe this to a group of citizens,

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who, just like we did,
did not get discouraged,

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they fought with patience and tenacity.

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They built all the car parks,
the Green Moscova Cooperative,

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but they also put on the icing.

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So can we open it now, can't we?

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Because the centre is closed.

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They haven't opened it yet.

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And incidentally, I find out
that in those days

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the city of Milan was looking
for an administrator.

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So I run home, full of enthusiasm,

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and I jot down a 52-page project
on how I'd manage that place.

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I place it in an envelope,
and I send it to Chiara Bisconti,

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alderman of sport,
2, Via Marconi, Milan City Hall.

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And I wait.

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(Laughter)

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With much optimism,
come on, we'll manage the field.

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A week, two weeks, two months,
three months, four months -

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The phone doesn't ring.

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It finally does, at eight at night.

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Unknown number. Shall I pick up?
It's dinner time, after all.

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Yes. Guess who it was.

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It was Fastweb wanting to sell me
the mega fibre - No, I'm joking.

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They told me, "Don't say that,
it's a sponsor", but I did.

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(Laughter)

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No -

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(Applause)

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It must have happened to you too.

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Worse, it was the alderman.

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They had loved the project,

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and the next day I had to go to her office

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to collect the keys
because "Soon", in a hurry,

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"Luigi, you have to open within 30 days."

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You understand how the enthusiasm
and the happiness last about one minute

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and soon turns into -

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(Laughter)

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absolute terror.

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And I assure you that if you only knew

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what I put in that envelope,
in that project,

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you would also panick big time.

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Let's read it together,

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so we take up a little dose of fear
all together, which is good for you.

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I won't read all 52 pages.

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I wrote: creating a sports area
that acts as a model for the whole city,

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managed according to ethical
and innovative criteria

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to promote sports, wellbeing and health

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fostering participation and integration
beyond any differences and prejudices.

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How do you do all that stuff?

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I had really shot high, because I wanted
to manage the field, but -

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(Laughter)

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(Applause)

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Settle down,

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you follow the other 51 pages
of the project methodically,

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and if we want to create a model area

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we need to improve
the structure that was already there,

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because there indeed were a few flaws.

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A 20,000-euro loan
by a friendly bank, immediate liquidity,

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my dad, who's here somewhere.

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(Laughter)

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And we build the locker rooms -

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there were no hot showers, no benches,

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and we cover the athletics track,
which was made of asphalt,

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with technical material.

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And while we are at it,
we make the real dream come true:

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we receive truckloads of sand
for the beach volley court.

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Then, over the years,
little by little, after two years,

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we also realised a gym,

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so we put up a roof on a sports centre,
which had been entirely outdoor.

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We're halfway through the
construction, we've built the roof,

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which we celebrate
with "malloreddus alla campidanese"

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prepared by my mom that morning.

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I hadn't prepared them.
Is Pietro Palvarini here?

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My mom had prepared them,
I can tell you now.

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So the sports centre
is the atomic bomb, guys.

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It's sensational,

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the first people we want to welcome
once we open the gates

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are the children,
those of the Year of the Child,

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who are now in their 50s,

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but they have their own children,
so more people in the neighbourhood.

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But there isn't much time,
because we only have 30 days.

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So myself and my partner,

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who's the first person I called

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when I saw the ad from the city,

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together with him
and the old five-a-side friends

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we quickly put together a non-profit

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to realise that mission
and open the field.

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So, here we are.

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We look more like those guys
welcoming you onto the ferry,

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but I assure you it's us.

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Over time, we create over six years
a veritable team,

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made up of educators, coaches
and project managers.

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The projects are the heart
of the sports centre;

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they are intended

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for those whose life's starting blocks

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were a few steps behind ours,

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due a condition of physical
or social disadvantage.

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And those like me who had all the fortunes
in the world are pleased to wait,

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and support them to take a journey
of sports and life together.

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So there are plenty of activities.

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We have 100 free courses
for low-income families,

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so those in need have
a fair chance to play sports.

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And then there's the issue
of welcoming migrants,

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so we have multicultural football,
basketball teams that are open to anyone.

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During Saturday mornings trainings,
the centre becomes the navel of the world.

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There are kids from Palestine,
Kosovo, Senegal, Mali

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who play with Italian kids
to have an enriching experience?

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The more diverse the cultures,
the richer the people.

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We also focus on the accessibility
of sports to people with disabilities.

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So we have a program
of crossdisciplinary activities

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open to people of every age and ability.

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Because if we get different people
to do sports together,

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the experience is far richer.

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This mix of individuals
and this variety of people on the field

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is the key that makes this centre
the home of sports for everyone.

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To realise our mission there,

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otherwise it's useless,
it remains just a sheet of paper.

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So there are kids on wheelchairs
who come to the centre to play

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with the staff of the non-profits
accompanying them,

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there are families who take
their children to attend our courses

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and they join gym courses
alongside kids with disabilities.

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There are phenomenal
visually impaired baseball players,

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who open the eyes of those

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who sometimes forget
how good sports are for you,

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and they do it together.

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And of course running cannot be missing:

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the easiest of sports,
you only need a pair of shoes.

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We have a free running club

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where disabled children and volunteers
train to run marathons and relays.

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We began tentatively with five people

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then, after three years, step by step,

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the whole world arrived
there are 500 of us,

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with firms, partners, institutions
that have joined us,

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50 youths with disabilities,

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and the day of the marathon
is an extraordinary event.

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With all these activities,
all these projects,

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with the necessary enthusiasm,

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leaving home, rain or shine,

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winning, losing, sweating,
falling and getting back up,

247
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in other words, doing sports,
change begins.

248
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The most profound one.
The one within yourself.

249
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So the mood is lifted,

250
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you breathe -

251
00:13:51,480 --> 00:13:54,016
It shows that I started doing
yoga last Monday, huh?

252
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You bunch of phonies.

253
00:13:56,480 --> 00:13:59,000
So you just feel better.

254
00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:03,080
You're more sociable,
you laugh more, you joke more,

255
00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:04,720
you reconnect with yourselves.

256
00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:08,530
I saw this change in the face of a person
who one day came to the centre,

257
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a company manager
who had supported our projects.

258
00:14:11,842 --> 00:14:14,730
"I want to come and play
with the disabled kids."

259
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"Great, come over."

260
00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:21,200
He came in tensed,
after a presumably hellish day at work,

261
00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:24,480
with all the muscles
in his face contracted.

262
00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:26,800
He held out his hand
to greet the first kid,

263
00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:30,365
and this boy with down syndrome
just sprang into a wonderful hug

264
00:14:30,365 --> 00:14:33,760
I'm jealous, I'd have liked
to receive a hug like that.

265
00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:36,160
It wasn't your everyday hug.

266
00:14:36,160 --> 00:14:41,520
It was warm, human, long, therapeutic.

267
00:14:41,520 --> 00:14:43,720
And this person got better immediately.

268
00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:46,080
He had fun, he relaxed,

269
00:14:46,080 --> 00:14:50,600
and he played with the kids;
he still thanks us today.

270
00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:53,200
A hug was enough to trigger all this.

271
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What an ability!

272
00:14:55,520 --> 00:14:59,600
After you witness episodes like these,
you ask yourself some questions.

273
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I know.

274
00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:02,400
Who's disabled?

275
00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:06,760
And I gave myself some answers.

276
00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:11,600
We all have disabilities and abilities.

277
00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:16,160
Everyone of us is able to do
one thing perfectly,

278
00:15:16,160 --> 00:15:19,320
and everyone of us
is incapable of doing other things,

279
00:15:19,320 --> 00:15:22,380
we have our disabilities,
possibly because we've worked too much?

280
00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:26,800
Because we've been looking at our
mobile everywhere like dowsers,

281
00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:29,560
and we have the world's
most nimble thumbs,

282
00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:33,000
but we've let other parts of us wither?

283
00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:34,760
Can it be?

284
00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:39,120
So sports are always round the corner,

285
00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:41,760
there's always a gym open 24 hours a day,

286
00:15:41,760 --> 00:15:43,840
seven days a week,

287
00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:47,350
to help us train the most important parts.

288
00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:50,240
Our body? Easy bet.

289
00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:52,520
The head? The Romans said it already.

290
00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:54,640
The heart, above all.

291
00:15:54,640 --> 00:16:00,160
So it is a gym where each of us can bring,
first and foremost, our abilities.

292
00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:03,887
Let's start from the nice things,
because we share those first,

293
00:16:03,887 --> 00:16:05,984
then the not-so-nice ones,
our disabilities,

294
00:16:05,984 --> 00:16:09,240
will look more human,
more manageable, overcomeable.

295
00:16:09,240 --> 00:16:14,920
This is why sports are magic,
and sports change lives.

296
00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:17,800
And just like it changed mine,

297
00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:19,520
and in small or large part

298
00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:21,910
the lives of the other
protagonists of this story,

299
00:16:21,910 --> 00:16:23,509
I am sure that it can be achieved

300
00:16:23,509 --> 00:16:28,680
in other places with similar
social challenges.

301
00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:34,240
Because Milan,
Italy and even other countries

302
00:16:34,240 --> 00:16:37,840
are full of fields ready to take flight.

303
00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:39,972
And, I hope, there are plenty of people -

304
00:16:39,972 --> 00:16:42,600
maybe even in this theatre,
at home, around the world,

305
00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:45,520
ready to invest in the magic of sports.

306
00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:50,368
The sports revolution, I feel it,

307
00:16:50,368 --> 00:16:54,486
can explode anywhere and in anyone,

308
00:16:54,486 --> 00:16:56,880
provided one condition.

309
00:16:56,880 --> 00:17:01,920
One condition must be fulfilled:
our willingness to light the fuse.

310
00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:05,360
Our willingness to take the first step,

311
00:17:05,360 --> 00:17:10,771
our willingness to dare more,
to get involved, play more.

312
00:17:10,771 --> 00:17:12,800
That's it, play more.

313
00:17:12,800 --> 00:17:14,570
I'm actually terrible at this myself,

314
00:17:14,570 --> 00:17:17,240
because I too forget this thing some time.

315
00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:19,680
So I wanted to write it down

316
00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:23,040
in the most visible place I could find,

317
00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:28,280
a place I would have in front of my nose
ten, a hundred, a thousand times a day,

318
00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:31,800
together with the other protagonists
who have joined me in this story.

319
00:17:31,800 --> 00:17:34,600
I wanted to write it
in the name of the project

320
00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:38,320
and in the name of the sports centre,
which is called, "Play more".

321
00:17:38,320 --> 00:17:39,560
Thank you.

322
00:17:39,560 --> 00:17:41,200
(Applause)