The New York International Football Club (NYIFC) will be partnering with Fit Club NY to hold a charity 5K walk/run in honor of their late teammate Davide Giri on June 25 at 21-03 31st Ave. in Astoria.
The event is set to begin at 10 a.m. and there will be free yoga, dance and personal training classes available at the 31st Avenue Open Street following the 5K.
Giri was a native of the Piedmont town of Alba, Italy. He had been working to earn his Ph.D. in computer science as a student at Columbia University. In 2019, he was one of the first players to join the amateur soccer club. Prior to that, he had spent the previous two years as a member of the team’s previous incarnation.
On Dec. 2, 2021, Giri was tragically killed on his way home from a mid-week training session with the team at Central Park. According to his teammates, the fatal confrontation was an unprovoked attack a few blocks away from his apartment. The assailant ended up attacking two more people that night, and police arrested him shortly after the third attack.
All proceeds raised from the first annual 5K Charity Run for Davide will go to the Davide Giri Prize Memorial Fund, at the Computer Science Department of Columbia University. The prize was established earlier this year and will be made annually to a graduate student in computer science who has combined excellence in research results with continued outstanding efforts to promote research collaboration.
2021 was special for @NYIntFC as we lost our teammate Davide Giri 💚🤍❤️
Today we are proud to announce the inaugural NYIFC ANNUAL 5K CHARITY RUN to honor and celebrate our beloved friend Davide.
You can sign up here: https://t.co/xzDOlgfPvk pic.twitter.com/W7uvyOaOYZ
— NY INTERNATIONAL FC 🦁 (@NYIntFC) May 20, 2022
In addition to the 5K and free classes after the event, there will be local vendors, raffles and giveaways throughout the event. Tickets for the event are on sale for $15. People can also donate to the Davide Giri Prize Memorial Fund at givebutter.com/dcJVOU. As of June 9, the donation page has already raised almost $2,400, exceeding its $2,000 goal.
According to Manus McGuire, one of Giri’s friends and teammates who helped organize the event, he was touched by the amount of support from the community. He credits Giri for making such a positive impact on those who knew him.
“He was everything you could ask for as a teammate and friend,” McGuire said. “He was very humble, encouraging, polite and enthusiastic about helping others. So many people had a lot of respect for him. He became the embodiment of what our team stands for.”
As of June 9, over 70 people have signed up to participate in the 5K. Some of the participants include Giri’s teammates, friends and teachers from Columbia University. McGuire now hopes for the amount of runners to surpass 100.
“Davide was a true gentleman and brought nothing but joy and kindness to those around him with his good nature, gentle heart, witty sense of humor and contagious smile, all of which will never be forgotten,” his teammates said. “We aspire to celebrate Davide through community building, physical fitness and healthy lifestyle choices.”
