Thousands discover winter sports at “Sport in Famiglia” festival in Rome

From Friday to Sunday (15–17 May), the “Sport in Famiglia” festival took place in the green heart of Rome, at the picturesque Lago dell’EUR central park. Now in its 11th year, the event once again transformed the beautiful lakeside setting into a celebration of sport, inclusion and community spirit.

Designed for all ages, from the youngest children to adults, the festival offered the opportunity to try more than 50 different sports and games completely free of charge. Among the most popular attractions was the area managed by the Lazio-Sardinia Winter Sports Committee (CLS), where visitors were introduced to winter disciplines including alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and biathlon.

The biathlon shooting range was organised in collaboration with Biathlon 4 All and featured four shooting lanes equipped with laser rifles, supervised by experienced technical staff. In addition, a small cross-country skiing trail and a synthetic ski slope made from Neveplast mats allowed participants to experience skiing even in the heart of the Italian capital.

Friday saw a large number of school groups visiting the park, while the event was officially opened on Saturday. Distinguished guests including Luciano Bonfiglio, President of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), and Italy’s Minister for Youth and Sport, Andrea Abodi, also stopped by the Biathlon 4 All stand and demonstrated impressive accuracy with the laser rifle.

Sunday truly lived up to the event’s name, with hundreds of families flocking to the venue to enjoy the activities together. Across the three-day festival, nearly 700 people tested themselves on the laser shooting range, including more than 500 children under the age of 15.

“There were three intense days filled with energy, games, sharing and fun for both adults and children, because sport truly belongs to everyone,” said Maria Antonia Brighetti, Regional Biathlon Coordinator. “Visitors, families, students, athletes, instructors, 27 federations, six promotional organisations and 50 associations all came together to make this event an extraordinary success, celebrating the values of inclusion, sustainability and community.”

FISI-CLS and Biathlon 4 All were represented by eight technical staff members, including Regional Alpine Skiing Coordinator Marco Verdecchia, Regional Biathlon Coordinator Maria Antonia Brighetti, and federal coach Barbara Ertl, Italy coordinator for the Biathlon 4 All project.