On the eighth floor of 417 Fifth Avenue, in the heart of Manhattan, Fabio Basile talks about judo. But only in part. Italy as a teacher.
The Italian Olympic champion, gold medalist in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, came to the Transatlantic Innovation Hub to share insights that go beyond the tatami: how what you learn in sports—falling, getting back up, maintaining balance, respecting your opponent—can also become a valuable tool in your professional life.
Joining him is Francesco Rulli, an Italian entrepreneur who has been active in New York for years and is the founder of Querlo, a company specializing in the development of artificial intelligence-based solutions. Together, they created the Basile Method, a project that seeks to bridge two seemingly distant worlds: that of Olympic athletes and that of businesses.
Moderating the event is Ornella Fado, founder of OK Productions, creator and host of Brindiamo!, a television program that has been airing on NYC-TV since 2005. Welcoming the guests is Simone Tarantino, president of the Transatlantic Innovation Hub.
Basile, born in Rivoli in 1994, needs little introduction. The gold medal he won in the 66-kilogram category at the Rio Olympics made history as Italy’s 200th Olympic gold medal. Other international achievements followed, from the bronze medal at the European Championships in Kazan to the gold at the Grand Slam in Antalya.
But it is perhaps what happened away from the podium that best explains the significance of the event in New York.
Two years ago, a serious neck injury forced him to undergo surgery to have two titanium vertebrae implanted. Doctors had told him his career was over. He returned to competition.
Last May, he won silver at the Grand Slam in Astana, Kazakhstan. And Los Angeles 2028 still lies ahead of him as a possible goal.
When he talks about resilience, therefore, Basile doesn’t treat it as a buzzword from a motivational seminar. He describes it through something he knows well: that moment when the body or a defeat seems to say it’s time to stop—and the choice, instead, to start over.
In judo, he explained, it’s not enough to know how to win. You have to learn to lose without losing your way, to stay level-headed when things are going well and when they’re going badly. And above all, to respect your opponent.
It is precisely from these principles that the attempt to transfer the mindset of Olympic sport into the world of work stems. Not as a simple metaphor, but as a method applicable to training, leadership, and managing challenges.
Technology comes into the project through Querlo.
Rulli and Basile have, in fact, also created a digital twin of the champion—a virtual assistant built on his personal and athletic experience, capable of communicating with users in different languages.
The foundation for this is Basile’s autobiography, “The Impossible Does Not Exist,” his interviews, and much of the material collected over the years.
Rulli explained that the idea also stemmed from a personal connection between the two and a shared interest: martial arts. While working on the project, he discovered just how rich and well-structured Basile’s wealth of experiences, stories, and reflections was—a foundation that lent itself naturally to the creation of his digital version.
The meeting in New York also opened up another perspective.
Judo, in fact, has a very strong presence in parts of the world that are still little discussed in Europe, particularly in Central Asia. In countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan, it is a deeply rooted discipline and also serves as a space for cultural exchange.
This gave rise to the idea of using sports as a point of contact between Italy and these regions, involving several Central Asian universities and building potential partnerships that extend beyond the realm of sports.
Ultimately, the thread that ties it all together is quite simple.
Basile continues to look toward Los Angeles 2028 and another possible chapter in his competitive career. But what he and Rulli are trying to build stems precisely from what sport leaves behind when the competition ends: discipline, adaptability, respect, and a willingness to start over.
Values that, on the tatami, are needed to stay on your feet. And that, off the tatami, may be even more essential.
