Record expedition for the Paralympics – Major Events

The president of the Italian Paralympic Committee Luca Pancalli announced the blue delegation, approved by the CIP Board, which will leave for the Tokyo Paralympics, scheduled from 24 August to 5 September 2021.

There are 113 athletes involved in 16 of the 22 disciplines: athletics, badminton, canoeing, rowing, cycling, horseback riding, judo, swimming, fencing, sitting volleyball, table tennis, weight lifting, taekwondo, target shooting, shooting. bow, triathlon, with the participation of the badminton athlete still at stake and further subsequent adjustments between now and departure for the Games.

“It is the largest delegation ever, and for the first time the women, 61, exceed the number of men, 51. We have already achieved a double historic result”, explained the CIP number one at the press conference following the meeting. of Giunta.

“Ambitions? We hope to win a little more than Rio 2016 – added Pancalli – It will be a more complex Olympics, the difficulties are many. They are for the Olympians, let alone for athletes with even severe disabilities. Consider that some athletes, for due to their pathologies, they have not yet been able to vaccinate. The ambitions in particular are those that have always represented Italian Paralympism: athletics, fencing, swimming, cycling and I cannot forget Alex Zanardi, and many other disciplines that will guarantee us success but I’m sure also surprises. I think of Sitting Volleyball, difficult but not impossible “.

The delegation will be led by the head of mission Juri Stara, general secretary of the Italian Paralympic Committee, and led by the two standard-bearers Beatrice Vio (fencing) and Federico Morlacchi (swimming).