Sport in Vatican City
The 20th and 21st centuries saw the expansion of sporting activities in Vatican City, with it being encouraged after World War II by Pope Pius XII.
The first athlete to officially represent Vatican City in international competition was Rien Schuurhuis, who competed in the 2022 and 2023 UCI Road World Championships.
A predecessor to association football and rugby, the game was organized by the Papal States and was held on 7 January 1521, in the Cortile del Belvedere, located in the Apostolic Palace.
[3] In the aftermath of World War II, Pope Pius XII encouraged sporting activities within Vatican City.
[7] On multiple occasions, the current sovereign of Vatican City as of June 2024[update], Pope Francis, has stated that sport could be used as a way of advocating peace across nations, fraternity,[8] and diplomacy.
[13][20] Francis has also met with IOC President Thomas Bach multiple times for talks to let Vatican City take part in the Olympic Games opening ceremonies.
Runners Sara Carnicelli and Simone Adamoli were part of the delegation to be the first ever participants from Vatican City to compete in a multi-sport event.
[21] A delegation from Vatican City was present at the 2019 edition of the Games of the Small States of Europe in Budva, Montenegro, but was only allowed to observe[23] as they were barred from competing due to the absence of a National Olympic Committee alongside the Faroe Islands.
[24] They were then set to compete at the 2021 Games of the Small States of Europe held in Andorra la Vella, Andorra, through a partnership with the Italian Olympic Committee signed in 2018,[25] but the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to avoid scheduling conflicts with the 2020 Summer Olympics, which were rescheduled to be held in 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.
[35] Vatican City is not a member of FIFA;[36] however, representative men's and women's national football teams exist and play friendly matches and in unofficial tournaments.
[40] The women's team also stirred controversy after one of their matches was abandoned in Simmering, Vienna, on 22 June 2019 as part of the club's twentieth anniversary, after opposing players from FC Mariahilf and bystanders protested about the Catholic Church's stance on abortion and homosexuality during the playing of Vatican City's national anthem.
[43] The league went through many name changes, first being called the Coppa Vaticano at its inception, then being renamed the Coppa Amiciza in 1947, and the Campionato della Citta Vaticano in 1981,[44] by Sergio Valci who was the former president of the Health Insurance Fund (Fondo Assistenza Sanitaria; FAS) and a Vatican healthcare employee until his death in 2012.
Runner Sara Carnicelli competed at both of these, becoming the first athlete from the Vatican City to participate in a multi-sport event at the 2022 Mediterranean Games.
[21] She also became the first official international medalist from the country when she won a bronze medal at the 2022 Championships of the Small States of Europe in Marsa, Malta.
[55] The nation competed at the following edition of the championships, which were held in Gibraltar on 22 June 2024,[56] where hurdler Giuseppe Zaparatta won a bronze medal when he placed third in the men's 110 metres hurdles.
[57] Prior to becoming a member of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), Vatican City was used as a venue for the 1974 Giro d'Italia, where it was used as a starting point for the course.
[65] Despite being born in the Netherlands, Schuurhuis was eligible to represent Vatican City due to his marriage with Chiara Porro, the Ambassador of Australia to the Holy See.
[72] Prior to becoming a member, the nation held courses for the sport for students at the Saint Pius X Institute under a partnership with the Italian Taekwondo Federation.
