The Paralympic Fencing World Cup makes a stop in Pisa
The Paralympic Fencing World Cup is back in Pisa for the sixth year, to be held from Thursday 18 to Sunday 21 November at the PalaCUS headquarters. After the great success of the previous editions, the Italian Fencing Federation has in fact decided to re-nominate the city of the Tower again for this season and again through the organization of the historic US Pisascherma Society. Twelve individual competitions scheduled for foil, sword and saber specialties (categories A and B according to disability, male and female) plus team competitions. The competitions start at 10 am and will end with the award ceremonies at 6.30 pm every day, except Sundays (4 pm). Approximately 250 athletes competing and 80 staff members are expected, representing 18 countries from all over the world. Italy with 24 athletes in the various participations and the two national teams of women’s foil and men’s saber will take the field for the team competition. Among the Italian athletes there will be Emanuele Lambertini, Edoardo Giordan, the silver medal in the team test Loredana Trigilia and Andrea Mogos.
Presenting the sporting event this morning, Wednesday 17 November at Palazzo Gambacorti, Michele Conti mayor of Pisa, Sandra Munno councilor of the Municipality of Pisa with responsibility for disability, Paolo Mancarella rector of the University of Pisa, Marco Gesi, pro-rector for Relations with local authorities and delegation of sports activities of the University of Pisa, Giuliano Pizzanelli vice president of Cus Pisa, Paolo Azzi President of the Italian Fencing Federation, Giovanni Calabrò President of US Pisascherma, Daria Marchetti member of the Great Events Commission of the Italian Fencing Federation. The press conference was also attended by Simone Vanni, just confirmed technical commissioner of the Paralympic national team and the athlete Matteo Betti, from Siena born in 1985 of the Fiamme Azzurre, who is at the fourth participation in the Olympic Games and led the men’s foil team in Tokyo, composed by Edoardo Giordan, Emanuele Lambertini and Marco Cima.
Michele Conti – that the city of Pisa hosts the sixth edition of the Paralympic Fencing World Cup, confirming the great tradition of Pisan fencing that has been the protagonist of the success of Italian fencing all over the world. It will be an important occasion for the city not only on a sporting level, but also and above all for the great attention paid by our community to welcoming people with disabilities. First of all, I thank the athletes and, together with them, the US Pisa Fencing, the Italian Fencing Federation, the CUS and the University of Pisa for having given life to this important sporting event. Pisa boasts a great sporting tradition in many sectors, which still today gives us great passions and results, but today what we launch together is a great message on the value of social inclusion, aggregation, personal growth and passion that sport for everyone represents. “
“We have reached the sixth edition of an event that has now consolidated itself in the panorama of national Paralympic sport – Paolo Azzi President of the Italian Fencing Federation -. A result that is the fruit of the attention with which the city and the institutions have received and believed in this event. Pisa has been a pioneering city of Paralympic fencing since the earliest times, and it proves it even today with the great participation of athletes. I thank the Municipal Administration, the University of Pisa, the Cus and all the staff for the welcome and the organizational effort that will allow us to enjoy this beautiful edition of the World Cup. “
“First of all, I would like to thank our athletes – declares Paolo Mancarella, rector of the University of Pisa -. In particular, I believe that the results of this year’s Paralympic national team will go down in history. This city and the institutions are demonstrating with this type of events that they are united and in the values of welcome, inclusion and solidarity. In particular, the University of Pisa believes in the values of sport and solidarity and this event represents precisely the combination of the values carried out for years by our institution. “
“We are happy to have arrived at the organization of this sixth edition, after a year of absence from the pandemic – Giovanni Calabrò President of US Pisascherma -. I would like to express a special thanks to the Pisa Foundation and to Pharmanutra, which financially supported the event from the beginning and also to the Rotary Club for the donation made to allow effective participation of all athletes. “
“We are happy – declares Daria Marchetti of the Great Events Commission of the Italian Fencing Federation – to have the opportunity to organize this competition as well as that of 2022 and we are ready to host the athletes who surprised us by the number of participation. We are sorry that this year, to keep the athletes’ bubble separate, there will be no public presence, we are especially sorry for the school children who were always happy to follow the competitions. The event can still be followed in streaming on the YouTube channel of the Italian Fencing Federation. “
“It is an honor to be involved in this important event – declares Marco Gesi, Vice Rector for Relations with responsibility for sports activities at the University of Pisa -. Participation in the World Cup is important and we are proud that our Cus is hosting the event. It is a university environment dedicated primarily to hosting students’ sports activities, but it is also proving to be able to host the great occasions that are reflected in the area. The Cus Pisa represents a sports citadel admired nationally by all Italian universities. “
“The Cus Pisa – declares the vice president Giuliano Pizzanelli – is happy to host important events for sport but in general for the whole city. We think of Mattarella’s visit, the Hockey Championships and now the Paralympic Cup. There are certainly difficulties in managing events of this magnitude but we have always managed to do it thanks also to the understanding of our athletes. These are all events that testify how the Cus has increasingly become an important point of reference at the city level, with a focus on sport for the differently skilled that boasts long-standing traditions. “
“What we are doing today – says Sandra Munno councilor of the Municipality of Pisa with responsibility for disability – represents the best that Pisa can give to its children, in particular to those who have disabilities. I firmly believe in the importance of the example set by these athletes, the example that is reflected not only in favor of those who practice sport and manage to achieve important results, but above all for those who have had fewer opportunities, but have equally need to believe it. This synergy that we demonstrate today between institutions serves precisely to reach those who need it most. “
Source: Municipality of Pisa – Press office
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