by InTrieste
One of Italy’s most distinctive indoor athletics events will return to Friuli Venezia Giulia next winter, as organizers officially presented Udin Jump 2026, the eighth edition of the international high-jump meeting, on Wednesday at Udine’s Blue Energy Stadium, home of Udinese Calcio.
The competition will take place on February 4, 2026, at the Palaindoor Bernes, continuing a tradition that has turned Udine into a regular stop on the European high-jump circuit. Over the years, Udin Jump has attracted elite athletes from across the continent while also serving as a bridge between high-performance sport and the local community.
The choice of venue for the presentation was itself symbolic. The Blue Energy Stadium occupies a special place in Italian athletics history: it was here, during the 1981 national championships, that Massimo Di Giorgio, a native of Friuli, became the first Italian high jumper to clear 2.30 meters, a milestone that helped define a generation of Italian track and field.
Now 44 years later, Di Giorgio returned to the stadium not as a competitor but as a witness to the enduring legacy of high jumping in the region, alongside another Friulian champion, Enzo Del Forno, and a group of young athletes who represent the future of the sport.
A Living Legacy
At the heart of Udin Jump is the vision of Alessandro Talotti, the former Italian high-jump star who created the event before his untimely death in 2021. What began as a local initiative has grown into one of Italy’s most respected indoor meets, known for its technical quality and its close ties to schools and youth sports programs.
Each year, students from Udine’s schools are involved in the event, an element that organizers say was central to Talotti’s idea of sport as a tool not only for competition but also for education and social connection. That approach has helped keep Udin Jump rooted in the city even as its international profile has expanded.
“Udin Jump is not just a meeting for elite athletes,” Massimo Patriarca, the event’s president, said at the presentation. “It is a project that brings together the sporting excellence of this region and the next generation who will carry it forward.”
A Regional Showcase
The event has also become a showcase for Friuli Venezia Giulia’s long-standing relationship with athletics. The region has produced a steady stream of high-jump talent and has invested heavily in facilities and grassroots sport, helping Udine’s Palaindoor Bernes become one of Italy’s key indoor venues.
Among those attending the presentation were Andrea Marcon, president of CONI Friuli Venezia Giulia; Mario Gasparetto, a veteran coach closely associated with Italian high jumping; and Franco Collavino, the chief executive of Udinese Calcio, whose club hosted the ceremony. Chiara Dazzan, Udine’s municipal councilor for sport, was also present, along with the parents of Alessandro Talotti.
For many in the room, the gathering was less about formal speeches than about continuity — connecting past achievements, like Di Giorgio’s historic jump, with a competition that continues to bring international sport to a medium-sized northeastern Italian city.
When Udin Jump 2026 takes place in early February, it will once again place Udine on the global high-jump map, blending elite competition with a deeply local story of memory, mentorship, and the enduring appeal of clearing a bar set just a little higher than before.
