On 25 July 2026, in Santo Domingo, the International President of Panathlon International, Giorgio Chinellato, and the President of Centro Caribe Sports, Luis Mejía Oviedo, signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the context of the 25th Central American and Caribbean Games, Santo Domingo 2026.
The signing of the agreement was made possible thanks to the initiative and commitment of the President of Panathlon Club Santo Domingo, Domingo Solano, who facilitated dialogue between the two organisations and made a tangible contribution to the realisation of this new international collaboration.
The ceremony took place the day after the opening of the Games, in the presence of numerous sporting authorities and a significant delegation of Panathletes. Also present was Balthazar Medina, President of the Bolivarian Sports Organisation (ODEBO), with which Panathlon International had signed a similar agreement in 2023, during the Pan American Congress in Guayaquil, to promote Fair Play within the Bolivarian Games.
The new Protocol stems from a shared commitment to fostering a sporting culture based on respect, loyalty, ethics and Fair Play. Through the direct involvement of the Panathlon Club Santo Domingo, Panathlon International will be present at the Games, helping to promote its principles and encourage the behaviour that best embodies the true spirit of sport.
The 25th Central American and Caribbean Games, scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August, will bring together over 6,000 athletes from 37 countries and represent one of the region’s major multi-sport events.
The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding therefore marks another important step in Panathlon International’s international expansion. Thanks to the collaboration with Centro Caribe Sports and the work of the Santo Domingo Club, the Movement will be able to strengthen its presence in the Central American and Caribbean region, bringing Panathlon’s values to an event of particular significance for international sport.
President Giorgio Chinellato and the President of Centro Caribe Sports, Luis Mejía Oviedo
Domingo Solano, President of the Panathlon Club Santo Domingo, President Giorgio Chinellato and Luis Mejía Oviedo, President of Centro Caribe Sports
From left: Domingo Solano, President of the Panathlon Club Santo Domingo; Cesar Polit; President Giorgio Chinellato; Myriam Leonor Suárez and Luis Mejía Oviedo, Secretary-General and President respectively of the Bolivarian Sports Organisation – ODEBO
President Giorgio Chinellato with Balthazar Medina, President of the Bolivarian Sports Organisation – ODEBO, and Myriam Leonor Suárez, Secretary-General
Der internationale Präsident von Panathlon International, Giorgio Chinellato, ist in der Dominikanischen Republik eingetroffen, wo er vom Präsidenten des neuen Panathlon-Clubs Santo Domingo, Domingo Solano, mit großer Begeisterung empfangen wurde.
Der Besuch bietet eine wichtige Gelegenheit, die Mitglieder zu treffen, die Beziehungen zur lokalen Panathlon-Gemeinschaft zu festigen und Panathleten aus anderen Ländern zu treffen. Präsident Chinellato wurde ausserdem eingeladen, an der Eröffnungsfeier und den damit Verbundenen Veran staltungen teilzunehmen, einer der renommiertesten Sportveranstaltungen des Kontinents.
Die vom Internationalen Olympischen Komitee als älteste regionale Multisportveranstaltung anerkannten Zentralamerikanischen und Karibischen Spiele werden bei ihrer Ausgabe 2026 in Santo Domingo über 6.000 Athleten aus 37 Ländern zusammenbringen. Ein Ereignis von grosser internationaler Bedeutung, das Panathlon International eine wichtige Gelegenheit bieten wird, seine Präsenz im karibischen Raum zu stärken und die Werte von Fairplay, Ethik und Respekt durch den Sport zu fördern.
Der Höhepunkt der Mission wird am 25. Juli sein, wenn der internationale Präsident auf Initiative von Präsident Solano eine Absichtserklärung mit Centro Caribe Sports unterzeichnen wird, um über den Club bei den Zentralamerikanischen und Karibischen Spielen präsent zu sein und die Verbreitung der Sportkultur und des Fairplay aktiv zu fördern.
Im Anschluss an die im September 2025 eingeleiteten Diskussionen hat Panathlon International dazu beigetragen, die europäischen Institutionen auf das Phänomen „Hikikomori“ aufmerksam zu machen, insbesondere im Hinblick auf die Prävention von psychischen Belastungen und sozialer Isolation bei jungen Menschen.
Am Mittwoch, dem 9. September, findet von 15:00 bis 17:00 Uhr im Europäischen Parlament in Brüssel eine Podiumsdiskussion mit dem Titel **„Hikikomori: Europäische Perspektiven zu Maßnahmen zur Prävention des Phänomens und bewährte Praktiken aus Italien“** statt, die auf Initiative der Europaabgeordneten Mariateresa Vivaldini organisiert wird.
Zu den Rednern der Veranstaltung zählen unter anderem der Präsident von Panathlon International, Giorgio Chinellato, sowie das internationale Vorstandsmitglied Fabiano Gino Maria Gerevini, der die internationale Arbeitsgruppe zum Hikikomori-Syndrom leitet.
Panathlon International ist stolz darauf, zur Erreichung dieses wichtigen Meilensteins beigetragen zu haben, der das Ergebnis seiner engagierten Bemühungen ist, den Dialog zu fördern und das Bewusstsein der Institutionen für ein Thema von wachsender gesellschaftlicher Bedeutung zu schärfen.
IPACS has published the Fact Sheet on Artificial Intelligence and Corruption in Sport, the first major output of the new Working Group dedicated to AI.
The publication has been added to the IPACS Tool Library and marks the launch of a new section dedicated to artificial intelligence, which will also host future resources on the topic.
The new Fact Sheet on artificial intelligence reaffirms IPACS’s role as an international benchmark for the development of tools to support integrity in sport. This is a path that Panathlon International follows and supports wholeheartedly, by participating in its initiatives and promoting a culture of good governance, transparency, and sporting ethics.
In the coming months, the publication will also be available in French and Spanish. The topic of artificial intelligence will also be explored in greater depth during the 9th IPACS Annual General Conference, scheduled for 2 October 2026
The International Board met online last Thursday, 9 July, to review ongoing activities and coordinate Panathlon International’s upcoming commitments. The International Board Members reported on the work carried out within their respective areas of responsibility, ranging from expansion activities to relations with Clubs and Districts, whilst the General Secretariat updated the Board on international projects and the organisation of forthcoming events.
The focus of the meeting was the follow-up to the General Assembly in Ghent: following the approval of the amendments to the Articles of Association, work has begun on updating the regulations and implementing the decisions adopted.
The Board then reviewed the progress of the Erasmus+ projects. In June, the international MindFit meetings in Izmir and the YouLead meetings in Podgorica took place, involving representatives from Panathlon International and its partners. New collaborations with universities were also assessed, the Ethos project, as well as partnerships with sports institutions and associations, alongside initiatives to expand the Movement into new countries. The Alpe Adria project, which is undergoing continuous development, was particularly well received. Furthermore, in order to help promote Panathlon’s values in Central and Eastern Europe, the President of the newly formed Club in Croatia, Milan Čupić, joined the Expansion and Development working group.
A significant part of the meeting was then devoted to the celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of Panathlon International and the Flambeau d’Or ceremony, scheduled to take place in Venice. The main organisational details were finalised and the award recipients identified, in preparation for an event honouring individuals who, through their own journeys, have embodied the ethical and cultural values of sport.
The Board concluded by taking note of the important developments in the project dedicated to the Hikikomori, which will see Panathlon International take centre stage on 9 September at the European Parliament, as part of a meeting aimed at exploring this sensitive issue in greater depth, confirming the Association’s growing commitment to issues of significant social impact.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board (EB) has provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) that had been in effect since 12 October 2023. The decision was taken following a thorough analysis by the IOC’s Legal Affairs Commission, considering that the ROC no longer includes as its members any regional sports organisations in territories falling under the jurisdiction of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Ukraine. In addition, the ROC confirmed that it does not, and will not, conduct any activities in these territories. The IOC EB will continue to closely monitor the situation relating to any ROC activities in those territories, and reserves the right to take any further measures if deemed necessary.
With the qualification period for both the LA28 Olympic Games and the Dolomiti Valtellina 2028 Winter Youth Olympic Games having started, and the need to offer equal access to these competitions to all athletes, the IOC EB decided that its recommended conditions of participation for International Federations (IFs) and international sports event organisers of 28 February 2022 and 28 March 2023 as they relate to Russian athletes and teams, including the protective measures, are no longer applicable.
In accordance with the Olympic Charter, and as applicable to all NOCs in general when selecting the athletes participating in the Olympic Games, the ROC must ensure that Russian athletes’ “selection [for the Olympic Games] shall be based not only on their sports performance, but also on their ability to serve as role models who respect, uphold and promote a peaceful society through sport as set forth in the Olympic Charter.” (Bye-law 2.1 to Rules 27 and 28).
To mark the upcoming CSIT World Sports Games 2027, to be held in Aalborg, Denmark, Panathlon International and CSIT are renewing their long-standing partnership through the presentation of the Panathlon International – CSIT World Sports Games 2027 Award.
The award, made possible by the long-standing and fruitful cooperation between the two organisations and the decision of International President Giorgio Chinellato, aims to recognise individuals who have distinguished themselves in promoting and upholding the ethical, moral and cultural values of sport.
Previous winners include the Honorary President of CSIT, Prof. Kalevi Olin, and Avi Sagi of HAPOEL, who were presented with the award at previous closing ceremonies by the Past President of Panathlon International, Pierre Zappelli, and Elisabeth Speiser, President and promoter of the global “Catch’n Serve Ball” movement, who was honoured last year by President Giorgio Chinellato.
For the 2027 edition too, all CSIT member unions will be invited to submit nominations for particularly deserving individuals.
From among the nominations received, the International Board of Panathlon International will select the individual who, through their example and commitment, has made a significant contribution to promoting the founding values of sport.
The Award will be presented during the 2027 CSIT World Sports Games, reaffirming its status as an important occasion to pay tribute to those who, through their work, help to foster a sporting culture inspired by ethics, responsibility, solidarity and respect.
Pierre Zappelli, Past President of Panathlon International, spoke as the keynote speaker at the Graduation Ceremony for the LL.M. programme in International Business Law at the University of Lausanne, which took place on 26 June on the university campus.
The invitation represented a significant recognition of the role played by Panathlon International in promoting ethics, fair play and integrity in sport. During his speech, Zappelli shared with the students his experience of leadership within the Panathlon Movement, emphasising the importance of training legal professionals capable of tackling the challenges of global sport with competence, responsibility and a focus on values.
The initiative forms part of the activities of Panathlon International’s Lausanne Representative Office, through which Pierre Zappelli, in collaboration with Melody Exhenry, develops and strengthens relations with international academic and sporting institutions in the region, promoting the dissemination of Panathletic values.
The ceremony was attended by students from numerous countries and also featured short presentations on the main issues surrounding the regulation of international sport.
Save the date: 23.–30. September
#BeActive, die EU-Kampagne zur Förderung eines aktiven und gesunden Lebensstils in Europa und darüber hinaus.
Im Anhang finden Sie das „Brandbook“ mit Materialien zum Herunterladen für die Kommunikationskampagne „BeActive 2026“ und die Europäische Sportwoche.
Die Panathlon-Clubs, die diese Initiative seit jeher tatkräftig unterstützen, sind eingeladen, auch in diesem Jahr wieder mitzumachen.
Wir freuen uns darauf, viele von euch dort zu sehen!!!
BeActive - Canva templates links+
Panathlon International begrüßt mit großer Freude die Gründung von drei neuen Clubs – ein konkretes Zeichen für die Lebendigkeit der Bewegung und die kontinuierliche Verbreitung der panathletischen Werte in den Regionen.
In Italien wird der Panathlon Club Trapani Junior gegründet, der damit der 13. italienische Junior-Club wird. Eine neue, junge und dynamische Einrichtung, die für die Zukunft der Bewegung von besonderer Bedeutung ist und dazu berufen ist, unter den jungen Generationen eine Sportkultur zu fördern, die auf Ethik, Fairplay, Respekt und Verantwortung basiert.
Ebenfalls in Italien wird der Panathlon Club Valle Stura Liguria gegründet, der die Präsenz von Panathlon in der Region weiter stärkt und die Zahl der ligurischen Clubs auf 10 erhöht. Ein wichtiges Ergebnis, das die Verankerung der Bewegung in der Region bestätigt und den Willen unterstreicht, durch den Sport weiterhin Teilhabe, Bildung und bürgerschaftliches Engagement zu fördern.
Das Wachstum von Panathlon International setzt sich auch über die europäischen Grenzen hinaus fort, mit der Gründung des neuen Panathlon-Clubs Hidalgo in Mexiko. Seine Gründung stellt einen weiteren Schritt in der internationalen Entwicklung des Vereins dar und zeugt vom wachsenden Interesse an den Prinzipien und Zielen von Panathlon auf dem amerikanischen Kontinent.
Den neuen Clubs gilt unser herzlichster Willkommensgruß in der Panathlon-Familie, verbunden mit dem Wunsch nach einem Weg voller Initiativen, Engagement und Einsatz im Dienste des Sports und seiner Werte.