The 16-year-old, former windsurfer and now champion of the sport of the future, was chosen as the face of the city: “I want to be ready in case this discipline enters the Olympics”
You cannot become the European Capital of Sport, for the year 2026, overnight and you cannot enter that Old Continent which is about to celebrate this large and varied Universe without launching yourself, wave after wave, into a new and certainly unusual dimension. , not very national-popular. You don’t create like this, as if it were a soufflé, an imposing movement, and championships and trophies and medals and men and women, without having an experience behind you – one would almost say History – and you don’t stay to enjoy the past, settling on the laurels that Emanuela Ferrante, the city’s councilor for Sport and Equal Opportunities, lays down on the seats of the Municipality of Naples: “The designation of Naples as the European Capital of Sport for 2026 has an extraordinary opportunity to propose virtuous models through world figures who represent fundamental values such as discipline, commitment, resilience, dedication, respect for others and inclusion”. A real manifesto.
The choice
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And to give meaning to this exploratory journey and immerse themselves in the future, at Palazzo Municipio they swam confidently in the mare magnum of modernism: Wing Foil is the sport of the future, it is a cross-section or even a new frontier that is establishing itself and that Naples has already made his own with the very young Ernesto De Amicis, European champion, double World champion, who has just returned from Jericoacoara in Brazil with the under 19 world title and a drawer full of legitimate aspirations.
Growth
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“These are enormous satisfactions for me as I started very early, at five years old, with windsurfing, before falling in love with Wing Foil – he says -. It is a daily commitment, which however comes after school, but it is formative and educational, it has a function and fills me with joy: I hope that one day, at the Olympics, there will be space for us, because the biggest dream is to participate in the Games”. And Naples, with open arms, has already said thanks to Ernesto De Amicis, in its own way: it rewarded him in the Municipality, with a plaque of recognition for the goals already achieved, and then nominated him – Mayor Manfredi present – as the first testimonial of Naples European City of Sport 2026. A boy to whom Emanuela Ferrante gave very sweet words and also a good bit of admiration. “Ernesto stands out among our ambassadors because he is standing out for his ability to combine competitive activity with study. And with him, or through him, our goal is to involve other young people who through a ‘normal’ life but oriented towards these principles of sport can represent a source of inspiration for their peers”.
well in advance
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There is a “child” – just sixteen years old – who at the Salesian Scientific Institute has decided to challenge bigger (and bigger) “giants”, nineteen year olds with whom to compete in waters that become (in competition) virtually stormy: the Wing Foil it is the sweet obsession of the new generations who love nature, water, the wind and it is starting to dominate the coasts, it is engaging, it is adrenaline-filled with those boards that sail the seas and the sails (or the wings) that cut through the air and that have made Ernesto De Amicis a generational phenomenon to be (un)followed, because he goes faster.
Sacrifices
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“I train three times a week, in Naples in general or even in Formia, it depends. And when I don’t go out, as we say in jargon, there’s always a lot of work to do in the gym. It’s not possible to slow down, there’s it requires a remarkable physical condition and therefore preparation that allows the athlete to be competitive and to be able to improve. For the moment, I am proud of what I have managed to do, first the European Championships and now also the reconfirmation of the World Championship in Brazil, but I know well what sacrifices we will have to continue doing them and that if I still want to compete at certain levels I have to provide academic performances that satisfy my parents. It is a pact that we have made and that I will not break, also because I want to be ready in case the Wing Foil enters the Olympics. I think it’s the highest point we can reach.” Together with its first testimonial, the future European Capital of Sport is booming.
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