The value of a major sporting event is measured above all by what remains after the competitions have ended. The Games can accelerate existing processes and mobilise institutions, businesses, investors and local communities around shared objectives. Infrastructure, skills, opportunities for communities and new lifestyles can therefore turn sport into a driver of development for the country.

At the ninth edition of Leggere il presente, SDA Bocconi Roma’s Book Club, Dino Ruta, Rector’s Delegate for Olympic Affairs at Bocconi University and Professor of Practice in Leadership, Sports & Events Business at SDA Bocconi School of Management, and author of Colori Olimpici - Lo sport e i giochi come scintilla di benessere e sviluppo (Egea), was joined by Diana Bianchedi, Chief Strategy, Planning and Legacy Officer for Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, Deputy Vice President of CONI and Sports Physician, in a conversation moderated by journalist Elisabetta Esposito.

Milano Cortina 2026 demonstrated how legacy can be planned from the bidding stage, starting with an analysis of local development plans. One of the most visible results is the student residence built in Milan, used as the Olympic Village and now available to students. Overall, 330 projects were launched across Italy in the areas of health, education, safety and community development. Among them, an initiative promoting thirty minutes of daily physical activity reached approximately two million school students and was subsequently extended to companies, encouraging concrete action against sedentary lifestyles.

The discussion also explored the evolution of investment in sport. The European model continues to attract capital from the United States and the Middle East, while the American model offers greater protection to investors and is more strongly oriented towards profitability. The gradual convergence of the two systems calls for a balance between economic sustainability, the identity of competitions and the value of sporting performance, as well as clearer rules for public-private partnerships and the protection of sporting assets.

The way people experience sporting events is also changing. Audiences are looking for a broader experience that encompasses the competition, athletes’ stories and everything surrounding the event. Milano Cortina also attracted visitors without tickets who wanted to experience the atmosphere of the Games. This requires venues and cities capable of accommodating different activities and audiences throughout the year. In Taranto, the Mediterranean Games confirmed the potential of investment in sport to contribute to the regeneration of areas facing economic and social challenges.

Athletes’ journeys increasingly extend beyond competition. Dual careers allow them to combine sport with education and work, creating new professional opportunities. Measures supporting maternity, such as ranking protection, together with greater attention to mental health, are also making the system more responsive to individual needs.

As Gimede Gigante, Director of SDA Bocconi Rome Campus, observed: “Major sporting events are a test of a country’s ability to work as a system. At SDA Bocconi Roma, we start from concrete phenomena such as this to connect institutions, businesses, skills and capital, turning dialogue into managerial capability and value for the country.”

Leggere il presente is an ongoing series that uses books as a starting point for discussions on the transformations shaping contemporary Italy.