The University of Padua celebrates the sporting successes of its sailing, rowing and chess teams at Palazzo del Bo

On Monday 10 March, in the Ancient Archives of Palazzo Bo, the official ceremony was held to present the Magnificent Rector with the prizes and plaques won by the University of Padua’s sailing, rowing and chess teams in the competitions of the last two years.

It was a high moment of celebration, recognition and testimony to the commitment and sporting achievements of the academic community, and was attended not only by the Rector Daniela Mapelli, but also by the Vice Chancellor for Welfare and Sport, Antonio Paoli, the Olympic champion and director of the Padua Rowing Club, Rossano Galtarossa, the contact person for the Metis Vela team, Andrea Lazzaretto, the coaches of the teams, the students who competed and the teachers of the academic community.

During the event, Professor Antonio Paoli emphasised the importance of sport in the education of students, highlighting how these results are the fruit of commitment, passion and team spirit: ‘University sport is an essential element of personal and academic growth and these successes and results demonstrate the talent and determination of our students. We will continue to support and sustain these activities in order to provide them with more and more opportunities to grow’.

Thanks to dedication, perseverance and enthusiasm, the university teams in recent years have achieved prestigious results at national and international level, including:

• Three-colour University Rowing 2022, 2023 and 2024 – 1st place
• Lion Cup 2023 and 2024 – 2nd place
• Rowing Challenge 2023 – 3rd place
• 1001 Vela Cup 2023 – 1st place with ‘Ate’, 3rd place with ‘Aletheia’ and ‘Mainaldo Maneschi’ Prize with ‘Aletheia’
• 1001 Vela Cup 2024 – 1st place with ‘Ate’ and ‘Paolo Padova Trophy’.
• Alma Mater University Chess Tournament 2024 – 5th place.

The University of Padua, which has always been attentive to the promotion of wellness and sport in the academic community, proudly participates in the celebration of its teams’ successes, recognising the commitment and dedication of the students and their coaches and coaches who carry the University’s name high in national and international competitions.

The event proved to be an opportunity not only to celebrate the sporting successes of recent years, but also to reaffirm the importance of sport within academic education, promoting values such as teamwork, determination and healthy competition.

During the ceremony, the Magnificent Rector also quoted the words of the message delivered to her by the Veneto Region Governor Luca Zaia for the occasion:

‘They are a real source of pride for our region, the students of the University of Padua who prove their worth both in the classrooms and in their studies as well as in the Athenaeum’s sports and athletic competitions, reaping notable successes. To them I send the congratulations and appreciation from the entire Veneto region, a land of which that prestigious and ancient academic institution is an integral part, and which they represent with excellent results on international competition fields. The university is study but also life together and teamwork,’ the Governor emphasises, ’as the important goals that Bo has achieved in rowing and sailing show us. But it is also, by definition, a gymnasium for learning and reflection; the successes in chess confirm this. I also congratulate the Rector Daniela Mapelli and the academic authorities for a university that not only trains the professionals and scientists who will soon be the ruling class, but does so without neglecting the values of sport and also managing to express a school of healthy competitiveness’.