Made in Italy and the sports industry: Olympics theatre of Italian excellence

According to data from Banca Ifis for Assosport, the total value of the Italian sports industry exceeds 23 billion in direct revenues generated by manufacturing companies, with about 159 thousand employees in the sector and a solid presence of export-oriented small and medium-sized companies. The data show how the sector, even in a competitive international context, maintains a strong resilience thanks to the production diversification and internationalisation of the Made in Italy supply chains in sport.

"I would like to thank Ice and its President Matteo Zoppas, Assosport and the Cortina Foundation for organising this important meeting dedicated to the Italian sports industry," said the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, in a video message. "Two days ago the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games kicked off. We are living live the history of sport, amid new emotions and great competitive feats. It is an extraordinary event that places Italia at the centre of world sport and represents a unique showcase for the best that our sports industry has to offer.

The Italian sports-related industry is in fact a dynamic, innovative and fast-growing sector. It is worth 25 billion euros, 1.4% of GDP and 5 billion in exports.

It offers cutting-edge solutions that look to the future. Products that set new technological standards, that combine functionality and aesthetics, that allow athletes to express themselves at their best and in safety. In short, a know-how that combines tradition and innovation and that the whole world envies us. The government is firmly at the side of this strategic sector, we want to support it with maximum operational commitment. I have put sports diplomacy among the priorities of my mandate and of the reform of the Ministry that I have just launched to make it more modern, closer to the citizens and capable of intercepting the great transformations of our time.

We have instituted the day of Italian sport in the world and through the network of embassies we promote the excellence of our production fabric in all continents to encourage exports and growth. Good work and good luck to all the athletes."

"The Olympic Games are a great showcase for Made in Italy in the world," added Minister Adolfo Urso, "a concrete lever to strengthen the production system, attract new investments and tourists, generate development in the territories, and give a further boost to the country's growth. These days in Milan and Cortina, in the capital of companies and the capital of tourism, the excellence of Made in Italy in winter sports is also being told: a sector in which Italia is on the world podium. We have become the fourth global exporting country and we have climbed the attractiveness ranking, with 2025 marking another record in foreign investments. Forza Impresa Italia!".

For the President of the Milano Cortina Foundation, Giovanni Malagò, 'being here, with the Milan Cortina 2026 Games just starting and seventy years after the myth of 1956, means immersing oneself in the beating heart of world sport. Seeing thousands of fans and delegations from all over the planet gathered among these marvellous peaks is supreme proof of the attractive force of Sistema Italia. In this unique atmosphere, the meeting between our industrial excellence and the world of sport becomes an extraordinary opportunity to network.

Let's harness the energy and history of this area to create new connections, celebrating a sports industry that is unrivalled in the world for passion and innovation'.

"Thanks to Minister Urso," Malagò added. "We need this resonance if we do not continue to push others to set up initiatives, there is great competition. These events are a formidable driving force and give acceleration to investments. Olympic costs 6-7 billion? I wish. There is a confusion between investments in the territories and infrastructural improvements also from the point of view of the disabled. 36,000 people are working for the Olympics. This foundation is atypical, it's a startup, but you already know you're going to close like a yogurt that expires. I thank the 18 thousand volunteers out of 165 thousand.

I have received great compliments on them and that makes me proud. Sacrifices are being made but the benefits will be formidable. There was a 55% share in total between rai and other broadcasters with 2.5 billion people watching the ceremony on TV and with 67% between the ages of 15 and 24'.

"Italy's sport industry is today a strategic industrial asset for the country. The President of Assosport, Alessio Cremonese,We are among the world's leading manufacturers of ski and winter sports equipment, and this leadership translates into capacity for innovation, skilled employment, and high value-added exports. Thanks to the joint work carried out with the ICE Agency, this day provided important opportunities for qualified discussions with international buyers and strengthened the positioning of our companies on foreign markets. As our claim 'Team up to compete' suggests, integration between the private sector and institutions, as was the case today, is a crucial factor in strengthening international competitiveness and supporting the development of highly specialised supply chains'.

For Lorraine Berton, President of Confindustria's Olympic, Great Events and Mountain Economy Technical Group, 'The 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics, besides being an extraordinary sporting event, represent a great economic and social project that mobilises production chains, investments, infrastructures and human capital. A flywheel of development that involves companies, workers, local communities and that must leave a stronger, more competitive, more cohesive system as a legacy. The real challenge is therefore to build a solid legacy of growth and long-term vision. The Olympic Games make history, we must make the future'.

Confindustria Vice President Barbara Cimmino said: 'Sport is a universal language that transforms values into industry. The Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics represent a historic opportunity to show that Italia knows how to combine performance, sustainability and industrial innovation. The sportswear and equipment sector is one of the most dynamic engines of our exports: it grows because it invests in advanced materials, responsible design and traceable supply chains. Believing in sport means believing in the growth of human capital and in the ability of Italian industry to compete in the world through quality, technology and care'.