In 10 days’ time, the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology will host the Mapei Sport Research Centre conference, entitled ‘30 Years of Mapei Sport: A Journey Through the Research Centre’s Sporting Experiences – Past, Present and Future’.
In the heart of Milan, the centre based in Olgiate Olona (Varese) will bring together internationally renowned researchers in the field of sports science, such as Franco Impellizzeri, Aaron J. Coutts, Nicola Maffiuletti, Samuele Marcora and many champions linked to its history.
On Saturday 28 March, cycling legends will take the stage to share their experiences, including the 2004 Athens Olympic champion and two-time world champion Paolo Bettini, alongside his former Mapei Cycling Team teammate Andrea Tafi, the first Italian to win Paris–Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders.
Also in attendance will be Sassuolo Calcio manager and 2006 World Cup winner Fabio Grosso, alongside “black and green” players Nemanja Matic and Lana Clelland; Eusebio di Francesco (US Lecce current manager), the architect of the club’s historic promotion to Serie A and European qualification; as well as two icons of the Emilia-based team, Francesco Magnanelli and Simone Missiroli.
Among the stars of the Mapei Sport 2026 conference is athletics Italian number 1 champion Nadia Battocletti, who will be competing in Poland at the World Indoor Championships this coming weekend. She will be joined by ocean navigator Ambrogio Beccaria and driver Rachele Somaschini, fresh from the Dakar Rally.
The programme features, alongside the Squinzi family, doctors, trainers and managers with proven experience such as Giovanni Carnevali (CEO and General Manager of U.S. Sassuolo Calcio) and Luca Guercilena (General Manager of Lidl-Trek), to reiterate, together with athletes past and present, just how essential ‘the science of champions at the service of all’ is to upholding the values embodied in Mapei’s motto: Never stop pedalling.
Registration for the conference is compulsory and free of charge. Please send an email to segreteria@mapeisport.it.
photo ©SassuoloCalcio
