European week of sport ROME 2019
Forty years after the world record of Pietro Mennea at 200mt with 19.72
THE “STONE TRACK” STARTS FROM ROME
ON THE OCCASION OF THE EUROPEAN WEEK OF SPORT
16 September 2019, Rome – Encouraging EU citizens to take up sport, regardless of age or fitness level: this is the aim of the European Week of Sport, organised by the Commission, which will take place from 23 to 30 September.
Italy has also taken the field with initiatives throughout the territory and Rome will become the stage for the initiative “La pista di PIETRO” a project created by Paolo Masini and Nicolas Meletiou, founder of the exosport project of ESO Benefit Society and which sees the direct collaboration of Manuela Olivieri Mennea, wife of the Olympic champion of the 200-meter plane in Moscow 1980.
From the collection and recycling of exhausted sports shoes with the exosport run project, second raw material is obtained, which becomes the flooring for the initiative “La pista di PIETRO”, a 60-metre athletic track with three lanes, which will be located in the external area of the Sala delle armi at the Foro Italico.
“La pista di PIETRO” is part of the Runfest initiatives organized by the Italian Representation of the European Commission and the Italian Federation of Athletics to encourage the practice of sport, the adoption of healthy lifestyles indicated to promote health and psycho-physical well-being.
The initiative, inspired by the runner Pietro Mennea, aims to minimize the accumulation of waste in landfill, with the project esosport run dedicated to the collection and recycling of exhausted shoes, to obtain raw material second with which was made the running surface of “La pista di PIETRO”, a removable and itinerant track that will make its first stop in Italy in Rome during the European Week of Sport.
“La pista di PIETRO” is realized with the support of the Italian Representation of the European Commission, the contribution of Credito Sportivo, the Italian Federation of Athletics and Vibram.
Manuela Olivieri Mennea, Pietro’s wife, also took part in the initiative. She donated her husband’s running shoes to the collection campaign, a symbolic gesture of strong emotional involvement, testifying that “La pista di PIETRO” contains a part of Pietro Mennea’s dream of continuing to run and to make young people live this experience.
For Paolo Masini the project “La pista di PIETRO” is a virtuous project between sport and good environmental practices: “Pietro’s shoes are the mother yeast of this project that aims to spread from the places of training.
“Sport and circular economy, a winning combination with the project “La pista di PIETRO” – says Nicolas Meletiou: the first important step in Rome of what will be a long journey of passion for sport and the cycle of recycling.
In the European Week of Sport, characterized by the hashtag #beactive, “LLa pista di PIETRO” launches the challenge to students of all levels, “Run on “LLa pista di PIETRO” and compete with the aim of beating or approaching as close as possible to the record of 6’68 “obtained by Pietro Mennea on 60 meters indoor in 1976.
The guys will race against Mennea, the LED lights will light up at the speed of Pietro’s record.
On arrival, each competitor will receive a certificate showing the time of the race, signed by Manuela Olivieri Mennea.
The track is now ready for adoption by schools, sports facilities and local authorities.