The Sports Diplomacy Office (Office XII of the Directorate General for Growth and Export Promotion, DGCE) was established on January 15, 2024 . The Foreign Ministry has thus added sports diplomacy to the broad range of Italy’s strategic promotion tools placed at the service of growth diplomacy.
The aim is to promote the projection of Italian sporting excellence abroad and the internationalization of Italian sport and its directly or indirectly related sectors, through collaboration with sports organisations (CONI, CIP, Sport e Salute, and the Federations) and in synergy with the ITA and trade associations. Furthermore, the Office is committed to promoting major international sporting events as opportunities for global visibility that foster tourism and investment, as showcases of Italian expertise, and as a reflection of the regions and their culture. Our activity is designed to strengthening Italy’s image abroad through sport and its excellence, highlighting not only its values but also its contribution to the country’s economic and social growth.
The Italian Sports Day in the World was established to organize events focused on sports diplomacy.
A permanent roundtable on sports diplomacy has been launched, a structured platform for dialogue between sports organizations, trade associations, related sectors, and the country system, with the aim of coordinating activities and systematically sharing the priorities for sports promotion abroad. The roundtable strengthens synergies between the public and private sectors, fostering a common narrative for enhancing Italy’s image abroad and more effective integration between the sports world, local communities, and companies.
On September 9, 2025, a new Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Sport, CONI, and CIP. This Memorandum of Understanding provides, inter alia, the participation of Olympic and Paralympic testimonials for sports diplomacy activities and a strong connection between CONI delegates abroad, to foster greater synergy and integration of their activities with those of the offices abroad.
This strategy also includes the appointment by Foreign Minister Tajani of the “Ambassadors of Sports Diplomacy,” as testimonials for our country’s values and excellence, connected to the sports ecosystem to promote growth.
To learn about all the “Ambassadors of Sports Diplomacy”
The Office is involved in many initiatives that promote major Italian sporting events and their cultural, economic, and regional impact.
The Office’s Projects
Since the creation of the Sports Diplomacy Office, many projects have been launched in various formats—publications, videos, and dedicated events—to promote Italy by leveraging the work of the network of Offices abroad. Through these initiatives, sports diplomacy demonstrates its strategic importance for the country system.
RELEVANT CONTACTS:
Directorate General for Growth and Export Promotion
Office XII – Sports Diplomacy
E-mail: dgce12@cert.esteri.it