O National Museum of Italian Immigration (MEI), in Genoa, recently opened a sports section, with some of the main highlights being the Palmeiras and Juventus (SP) teams.
Between individual athletes and sports clubs, the recently opened MEI section aims to tell the public the history of the European country's sport abroad and how it influenced the lives of immigrants.
With historical photographs and diverse information, the sports section captures different forms of the presence of immigrants in nations on all continents. Brazil, for example, is remembered for the strong influence of Italian immigrants on the Palmeiras and Juventus.
Before Brazil and Italy became major powers in world football, the Italians who arrived in the South American country had a direct impact on the creation and evolution of some of the most traditional Brazilian clubs.
The Palestra Itália, current Palmeiras, was founded in 1914, after the visits of Torino and Pro Vercelli to Brazil, which motivated the Italian community in São Paulo to found their own team.
Juventus is another club that does not hide its Italian roots, as it was created in Cotonifício Rodolfo Crespi, a former textile industry located in the São Paulo neighborhood of Mooca, after the merger of two floodplain teams formed by Italian workers from the factory.
“This should be taken to all schools and publicized because it is a wonderful initiative. The history of sport and our country is linked to the epic of immigration, which still exists in part, although with different dynamics. These trips gave rise to stories of women and men who made sport great”, said the president of the Italian National Olympic Committee (Coni), Giovanni Malagò, who participated in the inauguration.
Numerous countries are included in the MEI initiative, such as Argentina (Boca Juniors and River Plate), Uruguay (Peñarol) and Australia (Brisbane City). (Handle)
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