Children pose for a photo with the Olympic rings, ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Jan. 30. AP-Yonhap

MILAN — Olympic podiums are where the world’s best athletes win gold. But beyond the spotlight of the 2026 Winter Olympics, dozens of children on Feb. 9 received snowflake-shaped medals of their own in a Milan church — a reminder that they, too, are champions in life.

“This is not about changing lives through elite performance,” said Valentina Piazza, project manager for CSI for the World, which operates outside Italy to provide sports programs to children in developing countries. “It’s about how sport helps young people learn from being together.”

Piazza’s work is part of the Tour of Sports Values, an initiative led by the Catholic Archdiocese of Milan during the Games. With workshops, exhibitions, athlete testimonies and sports activities, the initiative seeks to promote excellence, friendship and respect.

The program is anchored by a series of letters written by Milan’s Archbishop Mario Delpini, who has drawn on those values in recent years as part of preparations for the Games.

It aims to involve about 13,000 young people from schools, parish youth centers and sports clubs across the archdiocese through Feb. 20.

The Tour of Sports Values kicked off on Feb. 9 at the Church of Sant’Antonio, near Milan’s Duomo.

Decorations related to the 2026 Winter Olympics ornament the area around San Vitale church, in Bormio, Italy, Feb. 10. AP-Yonhap

Dozens of children sat quietly on the benches of the Roman Catholic church rebuilt in the late 16th century. After a brief introduction to the program, they met Giordano Bortolani, a basketball player who came up through the youth system of Olimpia Milano, a professional basketball club, and has played in Italy’s top and second divisions.

“Since becoming a professional athlete, I often go around talking to kids,” said Bortolani, who has also engaged in activities organized for people with disabilities within programs of Milan’s Catholic Church.

Source: Korea Times News