Amici has discovered sport

If, by any chance, you have happened to tune in to Canale 5 on a Sunday afternoon over the last few weeks and seen boxing gloves, a boxing ring, a tatami mat or roller skates, rest assured – you were not hallucinating. Sport has made its way into the world of singers and dancers on Maria De Filippi’s famous programme Amici. Viewers can now enjoy a boxing match, a judo bout or a skating competition between one song and the next, between a hip-hop routine and a ballet performance.

It is up to the talent of Gabriele Guidi Rontani, a 22-year-old super-welterweight boxer from Florence, affiliated with the Army Sports Group, to make the programme’s viewers fall in love with boxing: gold medallist at the 20th Mediterranean Games in 2026 and Italian U22 champion in 2023. Although he may still need some time to get used to the television spotlight, from an athletic point of view he has already performed exceptionally well. Joining the ranks of the athletes is India Serafini, a 20-year-old judoka from Pomezia who won the Italian Cadet Championships in the 52 kg category in 2023 and the Italian Senior Cup in the 57 kg category in 2025.

The boxer and the judoka were the first to be given a desk (all admitted pupils are assigned a proper school desk, ed.). Then the television team wanted to create an element of surprise, which worked a treat with roller figure skating (the only non-Olympic sport of the three). And they did so in grand style with a performance by the athletes fresh from the World Championships in Asunción, Paraguay. In front of the audience at the newly inaugurated Suzuki Arena, adjacent to the main Amici studio, the third ‘Amici’ student-athlete ‘pirouetted’ with elegance and grace: Alex Chimetto, a 21-year-old champion from Padua registered with Polisportiva Dilettantistica Spinea, winner of two consecutive Italian titles (in 2025 and 2026) in the senior freestyle category and a bronze medallist at the Junior World Championships in Buenos Aires in 2022. In short, it really does seem that the Amici casting team made a wise choice in selecting which sports and athletes should join the school. Maria De Filippi’s words shed light on the reasoning behind this decision: “I watched the Olympics and realised that many important disciplines receive little coverage, yet they embody hard work and sacrifice. There isn’t a lot of money involved, and that is precisely why they are overlooked. My team and I decided to raise public awareness of them.”

Episodes often provide an opportunity to clarify technical aspects. Gabriele explained the basic moves, how long a bout lasts, and answered questions from his fellow contestants. Perhaps the closest thing to a boxing match that the other students and fans of the programme had seen up to that point were the numerous televised squabbles between the singing and dancing teachers. Alessandra Celentano, the formidable classical dance teacher, has been wearing the gloves for over 20 years and has yet to lose a single match (“The world of dance knows”).

Alex also had the chance to take centre stage and explain how the scoring works and what the key jumps are in his sport, putting on a mini-show that made a big impression on both his fellow contestants and viewers at home. His words bode well for the value of the journey he has embarked upon at the school: “From the very moment I walked in, Amici gave me a sense of home, of peace. When I performed here for the first time, I knew that lots of people would be watching my sport. I wanted to show it off in all its beauty.” His emotion was plain to see during the competition, in which he went head-to-head with another skater. The contest, which he needed to win to keep his place at the school, was accompanied by technical commentary from Andrea Aracu, a former champion and international-level coach. The result? Alex won. Amici couldn’t afford to lose a talent of this calibre so soon.

If the skating was not enough for viewers, they also had the chance to discover judo through the match against India. In 30 seconds, the young athlete had neutralised her opponent. Whilst no one had previously known what an ‘ippon’ was, the judoka gave a masterful demonstration of it. She secured victory with the equivalent of a knockout.

Although a proper knockout in boxing may still be pending, the intensity of the bout in which Gabriele participated underscores the sport’s growing relevance. Commentary by journalist Stefano Buttafuoco enabled even those unfamiliar with boxing to follow the action. The segment functioned as a genuine sports lesson, filling a gap in the Italian television landscape. Clemente Russo, a champion (who officially returns on 21 November with his first match after a five-year break), but also a showman and pundit on *Pressing*, tells us: “We must thank Maria De Filippi and her entire team because I’m convinced that, as the months go by, boxing, judo and skating clubs will fill up with children and teenagers. In a few years’ time, we could have loads of Olympic champions.” As technical director of the national boxing team, he will join Amici to coach Gabriele (currently under the guidance of technical director Giovanni De Carolis) and reveals that the athletes will be able to leave the programme to take part in international competitions: “At the end of November, Gabriele will come with us to Uzbekistan for the World Cup. He’ll have the entire national team staff at his disposal: sparring partners, fitness coaches, physiotherapists and the nutritionist.”

The combination of television and sport appears to be a winning one for other ‘insiders’ as well. Irma Testa, Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medallist; Roberto Cammarelle, three-time Olympic medallist; and Francesco Damiani, WBO heavyweight world champion, have all sent messages of encouragement to Gabriele. India received best wishes from Odette Giuffrida, an Olympic silver medallist at Rio 2016 and an Olympic bronze medallist at Tokyo 2020, and from Pino Maddaloni, an Olympic gold medallist at Sydney 2000. Alex received support from multiple medallists in his sport, such as Luca Lucaroni and Rebecca Tarlazzi, 13-time and 16-time world champions respectively. Let’s hope this bodes well for the future of these young athletes who came to Amici with the hope of joining the sporting hall of fame (or perhaps even the television hall of fame?).