A discussion in Brussels on young people’s mental health and social isolation. President Giorgio Chinellato: “Sporting culture can offer practical tools to tackle an increasingly widespread phenomenon.”
BRUSSELS, 9 September 2026 – Bringing the educational and social value of sport into the European debate on the ‘Hikikomori’ phenomenon and the isolation of the younger generations. With this aim in mind, Panathlon International took part in the round-table discussion at the European Parliament in Brussels entitled “Hikikomori: European perspectives on measures to prevent the phenomenon and Italian best practices”, organised and hosted by MEP Mariateresa Vivaldini.
Panathlon International was represented by International President Giorgio Chinellato and International Board Member Fabiano Gino Maria Gerevini, who heads the international working group on Hikikomori syndrome.
Also taking part in the discussion were Giovanni Lodetti, a lecturer at the University of Milan, a clinical sports psychologist and President of the International Association of Sports Psychology and Psychoanalysis; Federica Perolini, a psychologist and sports psychologist; Emanuela Schiavini, CRA nursing coordinator at the Department of Mental Health of the ASST in Crema; and Stefania Lando, an educationalist and university lecturer. The meeting also featured a testimony from a father via video link, providing a direct perspective from the families affected.
At the heart of the round-table discussion was the need to develop preventative measures and programmes capable of combating social isolation, with a particular focus on young people. In this context, Panathlon International reaffirmed the role that sport can play as a tool for education, social connection and inclusion, fostering participation, a sense of belonging and self-confidence.
‘What we are discussing today is an increasingly widespread condition, particularly in the wake of Covid. We are convinced that by promoting a sporting culture, we can acquire the right tools to tackle this phenomenon,” said President Giorgio Chinellato.
MEP Mariateresa Vivaldini also emphasised the importance of addressing the issue of young people’s mental health not only in terms of treatment, but also through prevention and the promotion of active citizenship, highlighting the contribution that organisations such as Panathlon International can make through the values of sport.
Participation in the Brussels meeting represents a further step in Panathlon International’s commitment to bringing sporting culture into the European institutional debate, promoting a conception of sport that goes beyond competitive practice and becomes a tool for personal and community development.