“In these days of sporting contests, aside from technical results, you also offer a testimony of discipline, healthy competition and team play”. These are the words said by Holy Father, welcoming a delegation of Trofeo Sette Colli guided by Paolo Barelli – president of Federnuoto, Ligue Europpenne de Natation and vice-president of the Federation Internationale de Natation - in the Sala Clementina of Palazzo Apostolico in Vatican City. The delegation is formed by about 300 people among national and international champions, small and great athletes representing their clubs, managers of the entire movement.
“In these days of sporting contests, aside from technical results, you also offer a testimony of discipline, healthy competition and team play”. These are the words said by Holy Father, welcoming a delegation of Trofeo Sette Colli guided by Paolo Barelli – president of Federnuoto, Ligue Europpenne de Natation and vice-president of the Federation Internationale de Natation - in the Sala Clementina of Palazzo Apostolico in Vatican City. The delegation is formed by about 300 people among national and international champions, small and great athletes representing their clubs, managers of the entire movement.“All this constitutes a lesson of life”, Holiness said remembering that the sport practiced with loyalty “becomes an opportunity for the formation of human and social values” and “the secret is, aside from the individual skill, the mutual help”. Focusing on the values of solidarity and collaboration, Pope Francis remembered “water polo” and “synchronized swimming” and the young Noemi Carrozza “your companion who tragically passed away a few days ago, her in Rome. I have prayed for her and her family, and today I remember her together with you”.
The private meeting opened with the speech of the president Barelli who underlined the values common in sport and among athletes who are responsible transmissive. “We sportpeople, all speak the same language; we share the same values: the development of mankind, reciprocal tolerance which grows into meaningful solidarity and sustainment, the vanquishing of all barriers, the building of all bridges”. The president also said that the water is “a measure of moral transparency” and it feeds for swimming world the “loyalty, dialogues, perseverance”.
Among the athletes, together with the Italian swimmers guided by the champions Gregorio Paltrinieri, Gabriele Detti, Luca Dotto, Fabio Scozzoli and Simona Quadarella, and by the World champions of synchronized swimming Giorgio Minisini and Manila Flamini, in first line together with Arianna Sacripante (the sincronette with down syndrome, gold medal at Trisome Games in 2016), there were several Olympic, World and European champions such as the Swedish Sarah Sjoestroem, the South-African Chad Le Clos, the Dutch Ranomi Kromowidjodjo and Femke Heemskerk, the Ukrainian Andriy Govorov, the Japanese Shinri Shioura, the Hungarian David Verraszto, Boglarka Kapas, Tamás Kenderesi and Liliana Szilagyi, the Brazilian Marcelo Chierighini, Gabriel da Silva Santos Joao Gomez, Etiene Medeiros, the Belgian Alexandre Marcourt, Juliette, Valentine Dumont, the Irish Rory McEvoy and Brendan Hyland, the Luxembourger Julie Meynen, the Romanian Robert Glinta, the Czech Simona Baumrtova, the Arabian Mohammed Yousuf Bin Mousa.

Speech of President Paolo Barelli

Holiness,
The presence of the Italian and International swimming family in this magnificent hall of the Apostolic Palace is particularly moving for all of us: for the young women and men personally, ahead of their roles as athletes, who are here in representation of the 1000 participants at the Trofeo Sette Colli who will symbolically unite the whole world in between the lanes of the Foro Italico. 
Today, we here represent the two billion people who practice one or more aquatic disciplines in every corner of the world including the five million Italians who do likewise. The attention You have reserved for us truly honours and also humbles us.
Holiness, we sportspeople, all speak the same language; we share the same values: the development of mankind, reciprocal tolerance which grows into meaningful solidarity and sustainment, the vanquishing of all barriers, the building of all bridges.
Water to us is a measure of moral transparency, and it feeds our loyalty, dialogues, perseverance.
We are here, women and men, young and not so young, athletes or not, to give witness of the values in which we live.
We will do our utmost to honour these values particularly in the coming days of top level swimming during the Trofeo Sette Colli. This event has been held for over half a century and it has brought together over 50,000 swimmers who have joined in a long and very unique embrace of values.We come from all the Continents, to give witness of the world we wish to see.  
The athletes, who are committed on a daily basis to respect their opponents and remove discrimination which day to day life feeds mankind; the families, who support athletes in a number of ways, not only from the sporting aspect but also along the road to moral rectitude, the officials in the federations, the coaches and technical staff, the judges and referees, who on a voluntary basis dedicate time and effort to sport as a life image, a means towards proper character formation, Holiness, we cherish the words and teachings of your Papacy.
We will always remember that a year ago You quoted the words of San Francesco d’Assisi, “Laudato si, mi Signore, per sora acqua, la quale e’ molto utile et umile et pretiosa et casta”. And to this you, Holy Father, added a thought we all share: “Water is life, no life exists without water”.Your attention strengthens our intentions further; the Blessing we plead you for will further encourage us to follow the road leading us to the values of the faith, of sport and of solidarity amongst peoples. Thank you, Holy Father.

Speech of Holy Father

Dear friends,
I give warmly welcome you, with special thanks to the president of the Federation for his words.
In these days of sporting contests – the “Seven Hills” Trophy – aside from technical results, you also offer testimony of discipline, healthy competition and team play. You show how far one can arrive through the effort of training, which involves great commitment and also sacrifices. All this constitutes a lesson of life, especially for your peers. Swimming, like any other sporting activity, if practised with loyalty, becomes an opportunity for the formation of human and social values, to strengthen along with the body also the character and will, to learn to know oneself and accept oneself, among companions.
I would like to insist a little on this aspect of “being a team”. Certainly, swimming is a predominantly individual sport, but in any case practising it in a sports club and even at national level becomes a team experience, in which collaboration and mutual help count a lot. And then there are relay races, and water polo, which is a classic team game. Above all, there is synchronized swimming, which truly exalts being a team: it is all about harmony, and excellence is reached when the athletes move so as to form a single movement. It is truly fascinating, and for us as common spectators seems almost impossible, but also here the secret, aside from individual competence, is mutual help.
Speaking of synchronized swimming, I cannot but think of Noemi, your companion who tragically passed away a few days ago, here in Rome. I have prayed for her and for her family, and today I remember her together with you.
Dear managers and athletes, be a good example to your peers, an example that can help them build their future. The language of sport is universal and easily reaches the new generations. Therefore, I encourage you to transmit positive messages through your activity, thus also contributing to improving the society in which we live.
May the Lord bless you and always give you the joy of practising sport together, in a fraternal spirit. Thank you.