A few moments before kick-off of Italy-England, a match valid for the fourth day of the Guinness Six Nations 2026, a scene occurred at the Olympic Stadium in Rome that will remain in the memory of the tournament. While the Army Band sang the national anthems, two little girls with white gloves appeared on the giant screens and, with elegant and precise movements, translated the words into sign language. A simple but powerful gesture that transformed one of the most solemn moments of the pre-match into a concrete symbol of accessibility and inclusion.
The protagonists: two little girls and the “visual notes”
Leading this historic moment were Bianca Bifano and Chiara Vecchione Foa, students of the primary school of the ISISS Magarotto Omnicomprehensive Institute in Rome. The two young performers are part of the Coro delle Mani Bianche, an educational project that combines music and sign language.
While performing the hymns, the girls translated the Canto degli Italiani and God Save the King using Italian Sign Language (LIS) and British Sign Language (BSL) respectively. Thanks to the projection on the giant screens, even the deaf audience present at the stadium was able to fully experience the emotion of the moment.
The initiative of the Italian Rugby Federation
The idea was born from the commitment of the Italian Rugby Federation (FIR) and Six Nations Ltd., who in recent years have been pursuing a path to make the tournament increasingly sustainable and inclusive.
For the first time in the history of the Six Nations, the national anthems were translated into sign language as part of the official match ceremony. An initiative that represents an important step in the European sports landscape, where accessibility in mass events is becoming a priority.
The White Hands Choir: when music becomes gesture
The Coro delle Mani Bianche project was born in 1999 in Venezuela, within the famous musical education system founded by maestro José Antonio Abreu. The idea is as simple as it is revolutionary: allowing deaf and hearing children to express music together.
The technique used is called “Signs and Voices”. While the voices sing, the hands – wrapped in characteristic white gloves – translate words and melodies into synchronized gestural choreographies, creating a sort of visual language capable of transmitting music even without sound.
A gesture that went viral
The video of the performance quickly conquered social media, garnering hundreds of thousands of views in just a few hours. Many users underlined that it was not a symbolic gesture, but a concrete act of inclusion. In a match that has already provided sporting emotions with the historic first Italian victory over the English (23 to 18), the image of the white hands “singing” the anthems has become the most powerful symbol of the evening: the demonstration that sport can truly speak to everyone.
You might also be interested in:
