“I learned how to dream when you start realizing that every dream carries you a little further.” Years ago, the Italian band Negrita sang these words in what still stands as something of a generational anthem for a large part of the Italian public. An anthem about dreams, and about discovery. Few ideas could better capture the spirit of a new era in Italian athletics, one in which the very notion of ‘Dream On’ forms the core of a new partnership with a world-class ally that will accompany the federation for at least the next Olympic cycle: the Swiss brand On.

On one side stands the enduring allure of the Azzurri uniform: a catalyst for ambition and entire life journeys, athletic and otherwise. Dreams built from early childhood. From that first moment of revelation sparked by Italy’s long and remarkably rich sporting tradition, now embodied in the ‘Azzurri’ kit and its marine bioluminescence: an aesthetic metaphor for the possibility of shining even under the most demanding conditions. On the other side lies the value of technological progress: forward-thinking design applied to functionality, a commitment to innovation, and a deep attention to the athlete’s individual experience and physical sensations: not as secondary features, but as essential components of performance itself. And beyond that, the thoughtful evolution of an entire movement: at its elite levels as well as across the grassroots.

As the Negrita lyric suggests, every dream carries you further. We do not yet know where the dream now being shaped by On and FIDAL will ultimately lead. But only hours before our special visit to the Swiss brand’s headquarters, a journey we will soon share across our digital channels, we can begin to understand where this transnational dream begins. We do so through a collective testimony: the voices of Olivier Bernhard, Co-Founder of On; Stefano Mei, President of FIDAL; and Yohannes Chiappinelli, On athlete and former Italian marathon record holder.

Olivier Bernhard – On Co-Founder

You were a world-class duathlete, Ironman competitor and triathlete, representing Switzerland in numerous international competitions. In these weeks we are celebrating a partnership that connects the brand you founded with athletes representing Italy on a global stage. What reflections come to mind when you think about the journey these athletes have taken to reach the pinnacle of their national sporting landscape: a similar path of refinement and sacrifice to the one you experienced yourself?

“When I see these young athletes, I see myself in them. My time as an elite athlete isn’t over in spirit, but it belongs to the past now. Still, I can strongly relate to what they are going through. They have the world ahead of them. Talking about Dream On as a concept, I think that’s really what sport, and life, is about. Keeping those dreams alive: believing you can break a national record, become a European champion, maybe even one day a world champion or Olympic champion. That ambition, that belief in what’s possible, will endure across generations, regardless of how performance evolves or how sport changes. The spark I see in their eyes today is the same spark I saw years ago, and it’s the same spark younger athletes will have five or ten years from now. That’s the beauty of sport. It doesn’t matter whether you run the 1500 meters, play tennis, swim, or ski: everyone understands what it takes to get there. The dedication, the sacrifices, the daily training, the discipline with nutrition and lifestyle. It becomes a kind of universal language. And when athletes meet each other, there’s always a moment of mutual respect. After a minute or two of conversation, every distance disappears. Because you recognize something in each other.”

Our media platform approaches sport as a cultural form. In the case of FIDAL, we are speaking about Italian sporting culture in its purest expression: moments, athletes, and eras that have shaped the history of an entire nation. How does it feel to see your brand associated with a sporting tradition like athletics, which holds such deep relevance for the Italian people and their cultural identity?

“Personally, and also speaking as a co-founder and former athlete, I feel incredibly proud. For us as a brand, being chosen as a partner by FIDAL is a real privilege, and we’re grateful for the trust they’ve placed in us over the next four years. But with that privilege also comes responsibility. And, in a way, pressure: just like in sport. We know how much emotion lives inside sport. And in Italy, that emotional connection to national identity and to athletes is particularly strong. People truly root for their country. Being part of that narrative elevates sport beyond performance alone. It becomes storytelling. And if, together with FIDAL, we can connect to that story in an authentic way, then we have the chance to show what the future of a partnership like this could look like. Maybe it starts on a European stage, but who knows, maybe by the time Los Angeles comes around it will resonate globally as well.”

‘Dream On, Italia.’ You chose this title to introduce the ‘Azzurri’ kit and the synergy between Italian passion and Swiss precision. What do you want this Italian dream to be made of? And how do you believe On can play a role in turning that dream into reality?

“The first question is a bit difficult, because I don’t think it’s my role to shape someone else’s dream. I wouldn’t go to a young athlete and tell them how they should dream. But what I do believe deeply is that we should keep dreaming. That’s what Dream On means. It’s about believing in possibilities, staying curious, accepting failure, and getting up to try again. In athletics you experience that every day. In life, failure can sometimes push you aside, make you feel like an outsider. But in sport, failure is part of the process. It’s about creating possibilities and continuing to pursue that dream over the long run. And that’s also how we approach storytelling as a brand. When we talk about our athletes, we don’t only talk about the ones who win medals. We also tell the stories of athletes who faced injuries, setbacks, defeats, and how they overcame them. Those are human stories. They happen to all of us. So we shouldn’t only talk about victory. What we want athletes to feel is this: if you give your best, that already matters. That already creates a story. Of course, we also support them through product. Everything we do starts with innovation. It begins in the lab: with scientists, data, testing, evaluation. Once we have a prototype, we take it to the athletes. They tell us: adjust this, tweak that. And through that collaboration we refine the product together. That process gives athletes a sense of belonging, of being part of something. There’s real power in that. I’ve experienced the opposite myself as an athlete. Sometimes you’d arrive at a race and someone would tell you: “Tomorrow you’re racing in this yellow shoe.” A shoe you’ve never seen before. You put it on and maybe it’s good, but you think: why wasn’t I asked? Now imagine the opposite. You receive the product the day before the race and you know: I gave feedback on this. I helped shape it. This is exactly the shoe I need. That belief alone can give you two percent more. And at the highest level, performance is not only physical: it’s mental too. That’s where we believe we can truly support athletes.”

At Athleta Mag, we see sport as a form of art, and the Azzurro of the Italian uniforms is an artistic symbol recognized worldwide. First, do you see athletics itself as a form of art? And secondly, how does On’s forward-thinking design approach aim to embrace, and at the same time functionally evolve, the aesthetic identity of Azzurro?

“Absolutely. I completely agree. For me, sport is art. Every time I watch athletes, whether on TV or in person, I’m struck by how effortless they make extraordinary performances look. I was recently watching the downhill in Bormio. These athletes move at unbelievable speed, yet it looks almost easy. The same happens in other sports. If you’ve ever tried to swim seriously, or run at three minutes per kilometer pace for marathon distance, you know how impossible it feels. And yet elite athletes make it look natural. That’s art. And in the case of the Azzurri kit, what struck me most was its simplicity. I really like that. There’s no need for excessive decoration. The materials are high-quality, the design is sleek, the fit is clean. That kind of simplicity reminds me of an athlete moving effortlessly. It’s like an artist drawing a line with a single stroke: confident, precise, nothing to correct. Just the right line. So yes, sport is art. And what I appreciated in the designer’s explanation is how storytelling plays a role in the design. There’s this idea of standing at the core of the sea — calm, grounded — and then stepping into competition, into a brutal race like the Olympics or a World Championship, where you have to give everything. Sometimes you don’t feel at your best at the start. But during the race you begin to believe again. And if you know the story behind the kit you’re wearing, if you feel proud of it, that belief gives you energy. I’m convinced of that.”

Stefano Mei 

‘Dream On, Italia.’ In your dual role as both an icon of Italian athletics and President of FIDAL, what dreams are you trying to build for the future of the Azzurri movement with the support of an exceptional partner like On?

“We chose On precisely because of the vision it brings and the attention it places on athletes. In many ways, it’s the same approach we adopted when we arrived at the Federation: putting athletes back at the center. Because, in the end, they’re the only thing that truly matters. Everything else is important—marketing, administration, event organization—but our real core business isn’t the competitions themselves. It’s the athletes. What we wanted to do was strengthen the support around them. Talent has always existed in Italy: I say that as someone who has been running for forty years. The issue has never been talent; the issue has often been the lack of support around it. When I arrived at the Federation, I sensed that there wasn’t enough real attention toward what is, ultimately, the engine of the sport. In theory, yes, but not always in practice. So we shifted a significant amount of resources toward actual sporting activity, especially at the elite level. And inevitably, the results followed. Paradoxically, and this is a limit of our country, in Italy sport really grows only when victories arrive. We don’t have a widespread culture of sport, so participation tends to grow only when success becomes visible. In that sense, we were looking for a partner who shared this same vision. With On we found the ideal partner: a relatively young company experiencing extraordinary growth, with an approach to sport that closely resembles our own. We believed the partnership could become not only useful but truly productive, precisely because we start from the same understanding. Olivier said it clearly: the athlete is at the center of the project. He was an athlete; I was an athlete. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. And there’s another important point: supporting the elite level automatically strengthens the grassroots level as well. When you invest in top performance, that energy inevitably spreads throughout the system. Even details that might seem small, like the visual identity of a new national kit, can become an additional motivation for young people approaching our sport. Perhaps it’s only a detail, but sometimes details make a difference.”

At Athleta Mag, we see sport as being in constant dialogue with art. The ‘Azzurri’ kit itself carries, in its very name, a distinctive element of Italian aesthetic language known worldwide: the iconic Blu Savoia, now evolved. When you watch an athlete compete in the Azzurri uniform, what feelings, memories, and associations come to mind? And what is the message behind this evolution?

“As president, in theory I should behave with a little more restraint, also because nowadays I can’t even enter the tartan the way I once did. But when our athletes are competing, I lose my composure. Every now and then someone has to call me back to order. Besides being a man who’s no longer exactly young, I also hold institutional roles both here and at the European level, so I’m expected to maintain a certain decorum. But I don’t always manage it. Because in those moments, I’m simply a fan. I remember during the European Championships in Rome, when President Mattarella attended the second day of athletics. I told him: “Mr. President, forgive me if I get a little carried away.” Because when I watch the Azzurri compete, I’m not just an observer: I’m a supporter. When I see them racing, everything inside me comes alive. And knowing that, in my role, I can contribute to creating the conditions for those results to happen, that’s an immense satisfaction.”

Continuing with the idea of art: from the perspective of a national and international champion of your stature, can athletics be considered, in its own way, a form of art? If so, how have you seen this art evolve over time, and where do you think it can go through the new Italian generation that On has chosen to support alongside senior athletes?

“I ran very well, so from a visual standpoint my running form was quite elegant. I was never particularly handsome, but the running style was good. And that helps, because when people watch someone move well, they almost fall in love with the motion itself. Jokes aside, I truly believe that all physical activity can be considered a form of art. You could compare it to cinema. It’s a particular kind of art: not something expressed on canvas or through a painting, but through athletic and technical movement. The artistic expression lies in the gesture itself. From that perspective, yes, I absolutely believe athletics can be considered a form of art.”

Yohannes Chiappinelli 

‘Dream On.’ After everything you’ve already achieved, and now that you’ve entered your full athletic maturity, what does Yohannes Chiappinelli still dream of?

“I’m still dreaming about the same thing I dreamed about as a kid. When I started in athletics, I was watching the great Olympic champions: athletes who inspired me. That’s where it all began. From the very beginning, my dream was to compete at the Olympic Games and win an Olympic medal. It has always been that. I haven’t achieved that dream yet, so I’m still chasing it. Sooner or later, it will happen.”

The ‘Azzurri’ kit carries, in its very name, one of Italy’s most powerful symbols: the color of the country’s sporting excellence: a symbol that, in this case, is evolving. In light of your own journey, what does it stir in you to wear this uniform? 

“Wearing the Azzurri kit is a huge responsibility. But at the same time it gives you an incredible emotional boost. Ever since I was young, when I first started competing for the national team, I’ve always felt that I could give something extra just by wearing that jersey. I felt a responsibility toward myself, toward the people watching from home, and toward those who came to the races to see me compete. Putting it on always gave me an extra source of energy. It’s a sense of pride that never really disappears, even as you gain more experience. Maybe when you’re young the emotion is even stronger: the first time you wear the Azzurri jersey is something you never forget. But even after many national team appearances, that feeling is still there. You know you’re representing something bigger than yourself.”

You come from a family rooted in academic mathematics. Running is built on individual, intangible sensations, but also increasingly on science and design as key drivers of performance. As an athlete, how do you experience this balance between the irrational and the rational? And how do you think On, through technological progress, can shape this new Azzurri era?

“When I run, I’m someone who listens to his body a lot. I pay close attention to physical sensations: how my foot lands, how I lift my knee, how my arms move. I always try to stay as coordinated as possible and avoid unnecessary movements. Over the years I’ve developed a very precise sense of pace. For example, if I need to run at three minutes per kilometer, I can usually feel whether I’m at that speed even without looking at my watch. After many years of running, you learn to sense it. At the same time, it’s clear that the evolution of shoes and materials has marked a real change of era. Modern shoes give you something extra: there’s no doubt about that. In my case, the combination of that internal awareness and the support of technology has helped me manage races better. It’s also thanks to this balance that I was able to run the Italian marathon record. As for this new phase of the national team, with On as the sponsor—which is also my personal sponsor—I think it’s an important chapter. On is a brand that’s growing very quickly and developing very advanced materials, both for shoes and for race apparel. And then there’s the aesthetic side as well. The new kit is really beautiful. When people see it at competitions, I’m convinced it will make a strong impression on the public too.”

We often say that, at Athleta Mag, sport is inseparable from art. Do you see points of contact between running and art itself? Do you sense artistic nuances within your discipline? And do you ever feel, in your own way, like an artist?

“That’s an interesting question, and honestly it’s something I had never really thought about before. But yes, I think sport in general can definitely be considered a form of art. In the world there are many different ways to express yourself: some people do it through music, others through visual art, others through teaching or research. For some people, and for me too, sport becomes the most natural way to express who they are. At school I wasn’t a particularly outstanding student. Then I found my place in sport. That’s where I discovered my vocation, and it’s through sport that people know me today. So in that sense, yes: running can be a form of art. It’s the way I’ve found to express myself.”