From the Campagna water polo champion to the Piga della Torres brothers: a hymn to sport

A hymn to sport, sung loudly by those who have practiced it at a competitive level, reaching the podium in national, European and world level competitions. Medals, championships, triumphs won by characters who have made the history of water polo and football.

The Fair Play Panathlon Club Sassari awards evening, organized at the Hotel Lybissonis in Porto Torres, shone with the gold of the champions, a container of successes and lessons. Of life and sport. «Young athletes who face fatigue and stress must be accompanied to achieve success. You have to know them in depth, you have to feel them with your heart." These are the words of Sandro Campagna, former water polo player and currently coach of the national water polo team, one of the most successful coaches in the world. From the hands of Marcello Sassu, president of Panathlon Sassari, Campagna received the lifetime achievement award. But his medal box is overflowing. As a player he was Olympic champion in the 1992 Barcelona edition, gold (1994) and silver (1986) at the World Championships, gold (1993) and bronze (1987, 1989) at the European Championships, gold in the 1993 World Cup. April 2012 received the Palme d'Or for Technical Merit. An example of fair play, of true fair play.

And an example of respect for the rules in sport is the former football stars, the brothers Mario and Marco Piga, born in Gallura, awarded with a plaque for their amazing career, a path that saw them compete in the teams of Torres, 'Avellino and Lucchese, to name a few. Midfielder Mario contributed to Avellino's historic promotion to Serie A in the 1977-78 season. First he joined Torres where he returned in 1986, the team that launched him. Marco, his twin brother, plays in Serie A and Serie B, experiences fair competition with his feet, and then sacrifices and humility. «Ours was a very poor family, my father worked in Switzerland, and we only managed to see him twice a year – says Marco Piga – and when Vanni Sanna and Federico Allasio came to offer us to join Torres, we initially refused because we had concluded the agreement with Torino." But then family unity prevailed over everything. «They offered us to move to Sassari, a contract of 150 thousand lire a month, a free apartment for my parents and a job for our father. So we decided to have him return from Switzerland – adds Mario Piga – and we accepted the proposal to reunite the family".

Applause and emotion for an event, curated by Danilo Russu, president of the Italian Swimming Federation, an initiative which also saw the participation of Francesco Sanna, governor of Panathlon Sardinia. At the end of the room, the past and present of Torres. The "super" former president Bruno Rubattu who in the 1980s brought the Torresina team to C1, a hard-earned and deserved promotion. Together with Pier Luigi Pinna, general director of Torres and owner Abinsula, they handed over the number 10 and 11 rossoblù shirts to Mario and Marco Piga. And then the other managers who are giving prestige to the company, Antonio Planeta and Vindex Silvetti. «In two weeks we have built a team to face a championship that was very difficult last year and, this year, with planning we have managed to build a team that is proving to be very competitive». The evening also saw the award ceremony of the Real Sun Service women's team, protagonist of a true gesture of fair play.