Today, in Western Australia, a perfect combination of sports diplomacy and integrated Italian promotion was staged. In the futuristic Optus stadium in Perth, 60,000 Italian football fans from all over Australia and the Indo-Pacific countries gathered to attend the friendly match between AC Milan and AS Roma. A sporting event that the Government of Western Australia had been hoping to see take place for some time, which was sold out.
The event, which for the first time saw two Serie A teams face each other in Oceania, was also attended by the Ambassador of Italy in Australia, H.E. Paolo Crudele, accompanied by the Consul in Western Australia Sergio Federico Nicolaci. “Events like this serve to illustrate the value of sports diplomacy in fostering strong ties between nations, celebrating Italian sports excellence on a global scale,” said the Ambassador, who expressed his gratitude for the “extraordinary welcome” extended to the two teams in Australia. The players and managers of the two clubs were also appreciative of the welcome, the warmth of the public and the high quality of the facilities. There are approximately 180,000 Italian citizens residing in Australia, with approximately 25,000 in Western Australia.
A few days before the Italian National Day and to celebrate the friendship between Italy and Australia, the music video of the song ‘Desert Reflections,’ was played just before the match by the pianist and composer Alessandro Martire. This was filmed in the past few months in the unique setting of the Pinnacles Desert and was shown as a world premiere on the big screens of the Optus stadium in Perth. It was produced in collaboration between the Italian Consulate in Perth and Tourism Western Australia.
