Zanetti awarded Andrea Fortunato prize

ROME – Javier Zanetti has been awarded the Andrea Fortunato – Sport is Life Prize at a ceremony held at the Italian National Olympic Committee headquarters in Rome on Thursday morning.

The prize – now in its eighth edition – is organised by the Fioravante Polito Sports Association, which supports the Library and Museum of Football also named after Fortunato, an Italian international footballer who died in 1995 at the age of 23 after suffering from leukaemia.

The association’s objective is to make it compulsory for all people engaged in competitive sport to hold a Haematic Passport with their details and undergo blood tests and cardiology exams in order to prevent physical ailments and potential illnesses.

Accepting his award, Zanetti spoke of his pride at being recognised: "Thank you all. It is an honour for me to be here to accept an award named after a great footballer and fantastic person like Andrea Fortunato.

"[CONI] President [Giovanni] Malagò has spoken about the core values in sport and the importance of prevention for all people practising any kind of sporting activity. I share in everything he says and want to express my wholehearted support for the fight against doping and underline once again the importance of prevention in football and all other sports."