“It is an opportunity for the city of Cagliari because we want to demonstrate that sport, tourism and related industries can travel hand in hand. Furthermore, with athletes arriving from 22 nations, we confirm that our regional capital is the ideal stage for hosting major sporting events ”. This is the comment by Andrea Floris, Councilor for Sport of the Municipality of Cagliari who spoke by videoconference at the presentation of the European Judo Championship for Paralympic, visually impaired and blind athletes which for the first time takes place in the Sardinian capital.
The appointment with the event is from 2 to 4 September 2022 at the PalaPirastu in Cagliari, for an event organized by the IBSA (International Blind sport Association) with the support of the Municipality of Cagliari, of the Sardinia Region. As specified by Councilor Floris, 22 nations will compete with over 250 registered athletes accompanied by about 100 companions. Important numbers that will lead, once again, the Sardinian capital to be the capital, in this case of Europe, of sport. A stage that lends itself to many disciplines and that allows the city to show off.
Sport, therefore, but social integration, respect for others and team spirit in an event that will also be fundamental for tourism promotion. According to some statistics of the organization, 80% of those who arrive in the city will visit Sardinia for the first time and three out of five could choose Cagliari as a future destination for their holidays.
“The European judo championship will serve as a score for the 2024 Paralympics – explained the FISPIC and IBSA president Sandro Di Girolamo – through this event we also want to bring the culture of Paralympic sport to the center by sending a message above all to young people. We invite able-bodied children to understand that if our athletes can do it, they can do it too, it is therefore an exhortation to leave the electronic devices, increasingly fashionable, to move to the sports fields ”.
Present, for the Region of Sardinia, the Councilor for Tourism, Gianni Chessa, who added: “We have identified sporting events at national and international level as good opportunities to seasonally adjust the tourist flows and extend the season. Sports tourism had never been considered at these levels and the fruits of this program are beginning to be seen, which did not stop even during the health emergency, promoting Sardinia as an ‘Island of sport’. The European judo championship is also part of this project, which represents an event of undoubted quality. These events can also contribute to the economic recovery, if we consider that about 350 people will stay on the island for five / six nights. A benefit for the whole territory “.
