MILAN, 19th October 2024 - Bronisław Czech, Antonio Maglio, Harry Seidel, Dana and Emil Zatopek and Khalida Popal will be honoured as the new Righteous in 2025 at Milan Garden of the Righteous at Monte Stella park.
It was decided by the Assembly of the Association for Milan Garden of the Righteous - including Gariwo Foundation, the Union of Italian Jewish Communities and the City of Milan - which has also chosen the theme for the celebrations of 2025 Day of the Righteous of Humanity: “The Righteous of Sport. Stories of athletes who have chosen good”.
In the framework of 2026 Winter Olympics, where Milan will be at the centre of global sporting events, the decision to honour athletes and sport personalities stems from the idea that Monte Stella Garden of the Righteous Worldwide, from which strong messages on democracy, peace and civil rights have been conveyed over the years, may also become a point of reference for values conveyed by this important event.
Furthermore, 2025 celebrations will be held in an extremely significant year, which includes two important anniversaries: 80 years since the liberation of Nazi-Fascist extermination camps and the Liberation of Italy, in which Milan was the capital of the Resistance.
The ceremony to honour the new Righteous will be held at Monte Stella park on 11th March 2025, five days after the Day of the Righteous of Humanity (6th
March). This date was chosen so that more students from the city would participate, in that they will be the actual protagonists of the event, as they are every year.
“Milan is proud to have the names of these women and men at the Garden of the Righteous, who have made the values that sport has passed on to them real and tangible through their life choices and their determination in carrying them out: solidarity, inclusion, selflessness, freedom, commented Milan mayor Giuseppe Sala. In a year and a half, Milan will be in the spotlight due to Winter Olympics and Paralympics. We would miss this opportunity if we simply waited and watched the exploits of champions arriving from all over the world for this event. We need to complement the journey leading to this important event with opportunities for reflection that highlight how crucial sport is in both personal and community formation of individuals and how many lessons it can teach to those who practice, follow and appreciate it. Honouring the Righteous of Sport next March is certainly a milestone along this path”.
“There are extraordinary stories of athletes who have become symbols not only for their sporting ability but also for their courage, solidarity and dedication to others and to good, said the President of the City Council, Elena Buscemi. The idea of remembering them among the Righteous on the eve of such an important sporting event for our city, 2026 Winter Olympics, is extremely beautiful. In particular, those who will be part of Milan Garden from next year have experienced or are experiencing injustices to which the world should never be indifferent. Remembrance plays an educational role that institutions must preserve and enhance”.
“Sport can be a field of positive agonism and become a source of important values in this time of wars and crisis, explains Gabriele Nissim, President of Gariwo Foundation. We think of athletes who have saved lives and defended human rights, but also of sporting activity as a moment of inclusion for migrants arriving in Italy and as a moment to reaffirm the battles for citizenship. And we think of those who, thanks to sport, overcome obstacles and achieve extraordinary goals by defying prejudice, as it happened during the last Paralympics. Eventually, through these Righteous we invoke positive cheering at stadiums, which does not insult and humiliate the opposing team. We honour the Righteous of Sport because we are convinced that their example can be a barrier against hatred”.
BIOGRAPHIES
Below are short biographies of the Righteous, available in full in Gariwo Encyclopaedia.
Bronisław “Bronek” Czech (1908-1944). He was Poland first world-class skier, excelling in cross-country skiing, jumping, Nordic combined, slalom and downhill. He took part in three Winter Olympics (1928, 1932, 1936) and won 24 national medals. His life changed with the outbreak of the Second World War, during which he worked as an underground courier for the Polish Resistance, helping many people escape. In 1940 he was arrested by the Gestapo and deported to Auschwitz camp, where he refused to collaborate with the Nazis despite promises of more favourable treatment. He died in the camp on 5th June 1944.
Antonio Maglio (1912-1988). A neurologist from Apulia, he was a pioneer in the rehabilitation of paraplegics in Italy in the Fifties. He defied scepticism and inertia and turned an unknown field into new hope of life for those having spinal cord injuries. Thanks to his efforts, many paraplegics not only could have a normal life again, they even became sports champions. His utopia became reality in 1960, with the first Paralympics in Rome. Maglio set up the first centre for paraplegics, where he introduced revolutionary concepts such as sport-therapy, social and labour reintegration, and equality between disabled and non-disabled individuals. His innovative methods achieved extraordinary results, reducing mortality rates and improving patients’ lives. With his vision, Maglio laid the foundations for the global Paralympic movement.
Khalida Popal (1987). Former captain and founder of the Afghan women’s national football team, she faced Taliban repression since a young age and became a target of the regime due to her activism. Forced to flee in 2011, she continued to fight for women’s rights by founding the Girl Power organization in Denmark, which promotes female inclusion and empowerment through football and leadership. In 2021, Popal orchestrated the evacuation of Afghan women footballers, saving them from the return of the Taliban regime and relocating them to countries such as Australia, the UK and Portugal.
Harry Seidel (1938-2020). Born and raised in East Berlin, he rebelled against political indoctrination imposed by the socialist education system from an early age. Although he won numerous championships as a track cyclist, Seidel was not called up for 1960 Olympics, presumably for political reasons or due to his refusal to take anabolic steroids, a common practice among GDR athletes. Such exclusion led him to break with the regime and move to West Berlin, where he continued his sports career. In August 1961, with the construction of the Berlin Wall, his life changed dramatically. Seidel became a proactive “escape helper”, enabling dozens of people to flee East Germany. He contributed to the escape of more than 100 people. In November 1962, Seidel was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment after a propaganda trial. After four years of imprisonment, Seidel was freed thanks to a ransom agreement between West Germany and the GDR.
Dana (1922-2020) and Emil Zátopek (1922-2000). Dana, a formidable javelin thrower, and Emil, nicknamed “the human locomotive” for his running style and unstoppable spirit, were one of the most famous sport couples in history. The peak of their careers coincided with 1952 Helsinki Olympics, where they both won gold. Emil won three gold medals in running (5,000 metres, 10,000 metres and marathon), while Dana won the javelin throw. In 1968, during the Prague Spring, Emil and Dana openly supported democratic reforms led by Alexander Dubček. They signed “The Two Thousand Words Manifesto”, a document calling for greater political and social freedom. This courageous choice, in which they were at the forefront of protests, had serious consequences when Warsaw Pact troops invaded Czechoslovakia to suppress the movement. Emil lost his job, was expelled from the communist party and was forced to work in humiliating conditions, such as in uranium mines and then as a garbage collector. Dana was also affected by that: her salary was reduced and she was removed from her positions as a coach. Despite repression, the couple endured oblivion with dignity, sustained by their love for each other and the beliefs they had always defended.
The Assembly also approved two nominations received by the Association for the Righteous chosen by civil society. Once again, this year, recommendations were indeed received from citizens and associations, of exemplary individuals whose stories will be remembered during the ceremonies of the Day of the Righteous. They are: Andrea Loriga, a physician from Binasco who rescued the Weiller Jewish family in September 1944, and Josip Tvrtko Reihl Kir, chief of police in Osijek who protected the life, safety and property of all citizens, regardless of their nationality and religion, during the Balkan conflict.