A life characterized by many successes, achieved with equal commitment and determination. It is that of Paolo Barbisan, 58 years old from Monastier, who has always been President of the Polisportiva Disabili di Marca in Treviso. Now he is in a wheelchair, following a car accident, but the before and after of this dramatic moment, which he has always shared with his wife Caterina, were characterized by a passion for sport first at an amateur level and then by true champion. What changed Paolo’s life in 1982 was a motorcycle accident while he was a friend’s passenger. Paolo remains a paraplegic. The trauma, the convalescence, the long periods of rehabilitation and then the desire to take back one’s life with a new job, at the “Giovanni XXIII” Nursing Home in Monastier, and intensifying one’s passions. After a short period of archery, with a company from Oderzo, Paolo discovers shooting.
“A falling in love – he will later tell – like that for life and for my wife. In Treviso in 1993 there were no sports clubs for the disabled and it was thus that, together with other friends like me, we started the PDM Polisportiva Disabili di Marca ”. Within a year, the increasingly close-knit shooting group entered the national team and in 1994, in Austria, Paolo obtained his first podium, qualifying for 3rd and 4th place in the Team World Championship. Only 12 months passed and in 1995, in Finland, he graduated as World Record Holder in Team Pistol Shooting in the European Category Championship. A success followed by the participation in the Atlanta Paralympics in 1996 and 2000 in Sidney and with the two silver medals obtained respectively in 1998 and 2002 at the world shooting championships and in the team championship.
Meanwhile, the PDM grows, it attracts many young people who, like Paolo, due to an accident or illness, find themselves having to live a “new” life. And it is precisely in sport, in particular wheelchair basketball, that they find the desire for redemption, the desire to be together without closing in on themselves. Now the PDM has 30 athletes and coaches, companions and mechanics and with the help of friends Fabio Santinon, Sporting Director, and coach Max Cricco, this year Paolo Barbisan’s team managed to land in Serie A. Without count the trust given to PDM by the international organizations that in July entrusted the Treviso team with the organization of the European Wheelchair Basketball Championships which were held in Lignano.
“It was a struggle – says Paolo – but the satisfaction we had at the end of the event was great”. In these days, special recognition for Paolo and for all the work he has done over the last 28 years. Directly from Rome he was awarded the star for Paralympic sporting merit. “When the prizes and awards are no longer for sporting results it means that you are getting old … but if the commitment in managing a sports club is rewarded it means that the work and time you dedicate is appreciated and this can only be a source of pride” says Paolo. An important recognition given by the Italian Paralympic Committee to all those sports clubs, federations, promotional bodies, sports managers and personalities who “with the work of marked commitment to positive intentions we have long served sport” states the motivation.
The ceremony took place last September in Abano Terme (PD) during the third edition of the Gran Galà dello Sport Paralympic Veneto during which the 17 athletes and 8 Venetian technicians protagonists of the recent Tokyo Paralympics were also awarded. Also present was the mayor of Monastier Paola Moro. It was she, in fact, who on stage presented to Paolo, together with Ruggero Vilnai president of Cip Veneto, the important recognition
“It is a great satisfaction to reward this fellow citizen who had sporting merits a few years ago as a world record holder in shooting and has now been awarded the bronze star as manager of the Monastier PDM. – commented the mayor of Monastier Paola Moro – L he commitment of this eternal boy has always been a constant, in sport as in normal life. I am full of gratitude for what the many athletes and trainers of the National Paralympic Committee transmit with their experiences in terms of will and resilience. We are all aware that there is a lot to do to offer opportunities to everyone, and sport is an excellent tool to reach the goal! ”.
We do not know what Paolo’s next goals are, but we do know those of the team he has presided over for over 28 years: the PDM which is now looking for other sensitive sponsors who can join their path full of commitment and effort, but also made of many satisfactions. We hope that the appeal launched will bear fruit in anticipation of the Serie A debut match on Saturday 23 October at 3.30 pm in the Sant’Antonino gym against GSD Porto Torres. Admission is free with GreenPass.
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