The Vatican has assembled a track and field team as its first official attempt at a sports team meant to compete at an international level. For the most part it’s considered a public relations move, meant to help the Catholic Church, which is based in the Vatican, to engage with the international community without much expectation of winning much at major competitions.
The team is made up of Vatican employees, including nuns, priests, and Swiss Guards. They will be receiving help from Italy’s sports coaches, teams, and facilities. They will compete in international track competitions, with a hope to compete at the Olympic level somewhere far down the road.
The Vatican, also known as the Holy See, is a micro-state, meaning that it’s a very small country with few actual citizens. In fact, it is located within the city of Rome and is in many ways treated as a part of Italy. But as an independent country, the Vatican is theoretically allowed to participate on its own in any international organization or event, but in sports the Vatican hasn’t really done so in the past.
So the next time you go for a run, make sure to stay out of the way of the nuns.
