Pope Leo XIV greets swimmers ahead of 62nd Sette Colli Trophy, calls sport a medicine for body and spirit

Pope Leo XIV met a delegation of athletes from 36 countries, officials of the Italian Swimming Federation and Olympic champions in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace on 25 June 2026. The audience was held ahead of the 62nd Sette Colli International Swimming Trophy in Rome.

The Pontiff said sport, when well lived, “is medicine for the body and for the spirit” and highlighted values such as commitment, solidarity and honesty. He added that sport offers “an opportunity for spiritual growth” and that water, the element of swimming, “symbolises baptism and new life in Christ.” He presented the Italian team with a kit coloured white and yellow with the inscription “Papa Leo XIV.”

Romanian Olympic champion David Popovici was among those received; he and fellow swimmers described the meeting as an emotional and memorable moment. The Pope encouraged the athletes to continue practising sport and spreading its values, calling the gathering “a sign of hope” for a more fraternal world.