Vatican Athletics

Vatican Athletics (Italian: Athletica Vaticana) is an athletics club. Described as the Vatican City's first official sports team, the club is affiliated with the Italian Athletics Federation.

Vatican Athletics
Native nameAthletica Vaticana
TypeAthletics club
Founded2019 (2019)
AffiliationsItalian Athletics Federation
Pontifical Council for Culture
President
Melchor Sánchez de Toca Alameda
ColoursNavy blue, yellow, white

History

The Holy See and the Italian Olympic Committee had an agreement to set up an official athletics team with the intention making the Vatican City able to compete in international sporting tournaments including the Summer Olympics.[1] The Vatican will have to secure membership of the International Association of Athletics Federations to be able to compete internationally as well as set up a National Olympic Committee to be able to participate in the Olympics.[2]

Vatican Athletics was launched in 10 January 2019 with 60 initial accredited members which includes Swiss Guards, nuns, priests, museum workers, and maintenance workers as well as two migrant Muslim Africans as honorary members.[3] Vatican Athletics is the first sports team to have legal status in the Vatican and is officially affiliated with the Italian Athletics Federation.[1]

The first podium finish of Vatican Athletics was at the Maratona di Messina, a marathon in Messina. Don Vincenzo Puccio, a Sicilian priest, won a silver medal for the team.[4]

As a national team, Vatican Athletics are aiming to participate in the Games of the Small States of Europe.[2] They attempted to make a debut in the 2019 edition, but they along with the Faroe Islands were barred from participating due to an absence of a national Olympic committee.[5]

Team image

Vatican Athletics uses a render of the Vatican coat of arms which consists of two keys and a papal tiara as its symbol. The team's uniform are in blue, yellow, and white; the latter two being colors found in the Vatican flag. The team have Italian firm Erreà as its official uniform supplier.[6]

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References
  1. "Nuns on the run: Vatican launches athletics team and targets Olympics". The Guardian. 10 June 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  2. Pavitt, Michael (11 January 2019). "Vatican establish athletics association but several hurdles remain before potential Olympic inclusion". Inside the Games. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  3. Picheta, Rob; Borghese, Livia (11 January 2019). "Godspeed! Vatican launches official athletics team". CNN. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  4. "Vatican athletics team secures first success". Wanted in Rome. 16 January 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  5. "Europe's tiniest states square off in the Olympic mini-games". The Economist. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  6. O’Loughlin, Michael (8 March 2019). "Meet the Vatican team running for the greater glory of God (and maybe the Olympics)". America Magazine. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
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