Winners Cup 2023: 250 young patients from all over Europe at the KONAMI Youth Development Centre
Community
— May 13th 2023At the home of the Inter Youth Sector, the fourth edition of the football tournament for teams linked to paediatric oncology departments takes place
The Winners Cup is a unique event that elevates the value of sport through its universal language, which brings people together and can be the best antidote to illness. A football tournament for teams linked to paediatric oncology departments, the fourth edition of the Winners Cup is taking place today between 09:00 and 18:00 CEST at the KONAMI Youth Development Centre, the home of Inter’s academy.
The players who will be taking to the pitch are youngsters who share a passion for sport and are current or former patients at one of around 30 paediatric oncology centres in Italy and the rest of Europe. In total, Interello will play host to 250 youngsters between the ages of 15 and 20, who are either undergoing treatment at the moment or have done so within the last three years. As part of the activities in the morning in Interello, there was a meeting with the Nerazzurri Primavera team and coach Cristian Chivu, followed by a greeting from CEO Sport Giuseppe Marotta.
“I'm happy that the world of football can bring so many emotions and so much happiness. What matters is that sport and football form men and women, who can take on life with great determination and courage to achieve the most beautiful things life can offer.”
Giuseppe Marotta, CEO Sport FC Internazionale Milano
The tournament will be contested by six European teams from France, Germany, Spain, Greece, Belgium, the Netherlands and ten Italian sides, including Milan-based Monza, the winners of the previous edition in 2019.
The began on the evening of Friday 12 May when Inter vice president Javier Zanetti warmly welcomed all the participants.
“We’re so proud to host this wonderful event, which showcases the importance that this club has always attached to social wellbeing. Inter strongly believes in this project because it believes in sport as a tool for social inclusion, emotional and mental support and promoting a universal message of brotherhood.”
Javier Zanetti, Vice President FC Internazionale Milano
The likes of RIA Money Transfer (the club’s Official Money Transfer Partner), S. Bernardo (Official Water Partner), AMI (Azionisti Minoranza Inter), the adolescents’ working group at AIEOP (Italian Association of haematology and paediatric oncology), the Bianca Garavaglia Association and FIAGOP (the Italian parents and former paediatric oncohaematology patients association) were also involved in supporting the 2023 edition. As a European event, the tournament is also sponsored by SIOPE (the European Society for Paediatric Oncology).
“Un torneo per ragazzi e ragazze che hanno affrontato la diagnosi di tumore e le relative cure in adolescenza: una cosa davvero unica nel mondo dello sport. È un grande privilegio per noi essere parte di questo progetto perché aprire strade apparentemente impossibili nello sport è una delle vocazioni del CSI.”
Massimo Achini, Presidente CSI Milano
“The Winners Cup is a unique event in the world. It’s a marvellous celebration of boys and girls that are going through or have gone through such a difficult period. The aim is to highlight the need for centres and projects for adolescents, who are special patients in an age gap that falls in between paediatric and adult oncology.”
Andrea Ferrari, oncologo pediatra dell’Istituto dei Tumori di Milano
Organised by FC Internazionale Milano in collaboration with the Institute of Tumours in Milan and the Centro Sportivo Italiano (Milan Committee), the fourth edition of the Winners Cup is now upon us. The previous one, staged in 2019, caught the eye of the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, who awarded one of the patients the prestigious Alfiere della Repubblica honour on behalf of all of the participants.