Always alongside sports
and its values

In his autobiography, Fulvio Bracco describes his “baptism” as a football fan: “At my home one Sunday in June, I heard a voice become louder and louder, more and more excited. Curious, I went to see. I discovered there was an FC Inter Milan football match being played on Via Goldoni, where the Nerazzurra (the Black and Blues) team used to play. The following Sunday, I went to watch my first football game in Milan; it was June 30th, 1930, and from that moment, I became an avid supporter of Inter.”

During his lifetime, Fulvio Bracco practiced many sports: sailing, to start with, because of his passion for the sea. He also spent a lot of time rowing, first in Trieste, but mostly during his University years in Pavia along the banks of the Ticino river. For example, he participated in numerous boat races as part of an eight crew. The GUF of Pavia’s coach, a Canadian who was the world champion in singles, included the young Fulvio in many races along the Naviglio (Milan’s canal) with the Canottieri Milano (Milan Rowing Club). The race he won at the Idroscalo against the rowing clubs from Livorno, Lecco and Adda was unforgettable for him.

“My father absolutely loved football,” remembers his daughter, Diana, “and he was a true Inter fan. Just like my nephew, Fulvio, and his children are today. While in my home, there was always a sort of rivalry with my husband Roberto de Silva, who was an enthusiastic supporter of the city’s other team, AC Milan”.

The passion for sports is an integral part of Bracco, as Diana herself explains. “Our family strongly believes in the educational and social importance of sports. We consider the practice of sports a unique occasion for young boys and girls to grow, improve, and interact, and we support these activities as a means of inclusion in the community. Likewise, we firmly believe that sport is a training ground for life and a vehicle for positive values: loyalty, dedication, teamwork, merit, working toward goals, respect for rules and for others – all values which the Bracco Group wholeheartedly believes in.”

That’s why Bracco and sports have always gone together over the years. The Group has consistently done its part, especially by supporting various women’s associations like GEAS Basket, Bracco Pro Patria Volley and Bracco Atletica, which have been very fulfilling; or like Enotria, a men’s club that also organizes a female soccer tournament within the Bracco Cup, called Women’s Football.

In more recent years, this commitment has been reinforced by an initiative which sends an important cultural message: the national competition called “Donna Sport, l’Atleta più brava a scuola” (Donna Sport, the best female athlete in school). Dedicated to young female athletes, including athletes with disabilities, aged 14 to 18, the initiative awards those who achieve high marks in school while also practicing competitive sports at the national level. “Our candidates show that this combination is not only possible, but a winning one. In fact, the drive and determination that these young female athletes put into their competitive sports are the same qualities that accompany them in their everyday lives, and help them to become principled adults,” concludes Diana Bracco. The seventh edition of “Donna Sport” will be in 2024, representing one stop on the pathway towards the approaching Winter Olympics: Milan – Cortina 2026.