Sport

The tennis calendar has taken a bit of a battering of late, with Wimbledon one Grand Slam tournament to fall foul of the recent world situation.

The city of Alessandria – lying among the plains of the Piedmont region, between the Tanaro and Bormida rivers – is a long way from Solt in Hungary, and even further from the winters of Poland and the hellish imagery of Auschwitz. Yet in January this year, Alessandria hosted a ceremony which honoured the life of an adopted son who had taken this very journey, football player and manager Arpad Weisz.

The Italian people have had a huge effect on the United States, from food to film and everything in between. People of Italian ancestry, or Italian Americans, make up the fifth-largest self-identified ethnic group in the United States and between 1820 and 2004, almost 5.5 million Italians immigrated to the United States.

One of the biggest horse races in the world, let alone Australia, the 2019 Melbourne Cup took place earlier this month. True to form, the race that stops the nation gave us plenty of action, drama and reasons to celebrate (especially if you backed the right horse!). Photo: Chris Phutully

Multi-award-winning British filmmaker Asaf Kapadia’s eye-opening new documentary on Argentinian soccer legend Diego Maradona draws a fascinating connection between Maradona and the city of Naples. Therewith a symbolic connection is also drawn between Argentina and Italy at large, but the interaction between the two is complex and fraught with challenges and is soon taken into a political realm ̶ sports a subject triggering a heavy socio-political discourse. (Photo Naples, Italy: Diego Maradona by Jorit Agoch)

In a telling and often moving chat a few years ago with American talk-show host David Letterman, Alex Zanardi discussed his then upcoming challenge—an Ironman Competition. Asked whether he feared the prospect of possible sharks lurking in the water during the swimming section, the endearingly self-deprecating and always forward-looking sports great replied that the shark would most probably look up and swim away, deciding that he was not worth the trouble.

The story of a Victorian country girl of Italian descent who is developing a career as a professional player in women’s Australian football and is a staunch promoter of gender equality in all sports. (Photo Ksenia Belova)

It is a bright early July day. On a dusty mountain track fringed by fir trees and leading to a pass in the French Alps 2,600 metres above sea level, two men are struggling, pushing, panting. Their sweat has dried on their faces etching masks of effort and pain. These men are road race cyclists and the scene is the Tour de France of 1952.

The 2019 Formula One season will get underway in a few short week at Albert Park in Melbourne, and the Tifosi will go into it knowing that Ferrari has a real chance to compete against Mercedes and the all conquering Lewis Hamilton.

In the last two decades, specialised magazines including “Surfer” have been clueing in their readers on the possibility of practising surf in Italy. A global perspective may merely address the information as a “diversion for amateurs,” as none have ever heard about riding waves and surfboards on the Italian shores.

In 2016, Western Bulldogs shocked Australia with their immaculate surge up the ladder to claim the AFL Premiership against the Sydney Swans. But somehow, in 2017, the Richmond Tigers managed to trump the Western Bulldogs’ Cinderella story with their triumph over the Adelaide Crows to be named premiers.

It is a bright early July day. On a dusty mountain track fringed by fir trees and leading to a pass in the French Alps 2,600 metres above sea level, two men are struggling, pushing, panting. Their sweat has dried on their faces etching masks of effort and pain.

Beatrice “Bebe” Maria Vio, the most popular Italian wheelchair fencer, is a living example of how a terrible misfortune can be transformed into a glorious destiny.

Fila is a renowned brand of sportswear and accessories, favored by many sporting greats for the quality of its materials, unique designs and practicality.

More than being a surprise, Italy’s failure to qualify for the 2018 Football World Cup can be described as the last straw that broke the camel’s back. Even the most sanguine Italian soccer fan was aware that the Italian national team had long lost its competitive edge and sooner or later was destined to bite the dust.

Valentino Rossi. If you don’t know who he is, you are not from this world, believe me. He is not an icon; he is “the icon” of motorcycling. Not just because he has signed the highest number of wins in the modern Moto GP era and the most podium appearances in the history of this sport, but because of how he wins.

With 107 years of unique memories and incredible achievements, Alfa Romeo certainly has a history worth sharing; achievements that not only reflect the Alfa Romeo brand, but those which helped create the enticing and driving experience that continues to this day.

The origin of Australian Rules Football has inspired many books, articles and much historical research. This in itself gives us a clue as to how important this game is to so many Australians.

The story of a Victorian country girl of Italian descent who is developing a career as a professional player in women’s Australian football and is a staunch promoter of gender equality in all sports.

In 1934, Nino Borsari landed for the first time in Australia to compete in the Centenary 1000: a cycle race that was part of the Centenary of Victoria celebrations. He didn’t know he was shaping his future and the history of the bicycle trade in Melbourne. Several other European and international cycling champions came to race over the seven stages, covering 1,773 km, but none of them stood out from the others. Borsari won two sprints in Ararat and Ballarat and finished 5th overall.

Following in his nonno’s and father’s footsteps, the nineteen year old Jack Silvagni promises to add luster to the name of a legendary family of Italian-Australian footballers

In recent years, European football seemed to realize the big potential of Australia in terms of future growth and revenue. In 2012 the choice of an icon such as Alessandro Del Piero to join the A-League with Sydney FC reached a milestone for Australian soccer, which has started to be followed beyond the national borders, too.