TAVERNA – Sport as a moral legacy, competition as a universal language of memory. In Taverna, Sunday 11 January 2026, archery was able to combine competitive spirit and sentiment in the first Memorial Giuseppe Pascuzzian event that transformed a race into a moment of collective sharing. In the sports facility in via Frangipane, athletes, managers and institutions gathered to pay homage to a figure who had a profound impact on the city’s sporting life.
The event, organized by ASD Arcieri Club Lidowas born from the strong will of the vice president Edoardo Poerio Pieràwho believed from the beginning in the symbolic and sporting value of the initiative. Despite the harsh winter temperatures, participation was significant, with the presence of athletes from various clubs and several Calabrian provinces, demonstrating a lively and growing movement.
The direction of the race is entrusted to the race judge Eleonora Socievoleguaranteed the smooth running of a competition divided into two rounds, at the end of which the Lido Club Archers achieved extremely important results. A medal list that confirms the technical solidity and the work carried out by the club on a youth and competitive level.
Winning gold in the Junior compound division was Anastasia Poerio Pieràwhile her teammate Sofia Sgotto dominated the Allieve Olympic division, also climbing to the top step of the podium. Success also for Alessandro Poerio Pierà in the bare bow, as well as for Letizia Lizzio in the same class and division. To complete the picture of placings, the bronze of Maurizio Sgotto in the Master bare arch, which further enriched the overall balance sheet of the organizing company.
Numbers and results, however, only tell part of the day. The Memorial was above all a moment of gratitude towards Giuseppe Pascuzzi, historic sports delegate of the Municipality of Taverna, a figure unanimously esteemed for his transversal passion and constant commitment. At the end of the match, after the playing of the national anthem, the vice-president Poerio Piteraon behalf of the entire company, delivered a souvenir scroll to Maria GarofaloPascuzzi’s wife, in a moment of intense emotional participation.
Various civil and sporting authorities were also present, including city councilors Vladimir Vavalà and Lia Salvatore and the federal councilor Alessandro Albaneseto underline the institutional recognition of an initiative capable of combining sport, territory and memory.
In his speech, Edoardo Poerio Pierà recalled Pascuzzi’s human and sporting profile with heartfelt words:
«Pepè – as he was called by everyone – was a point of reference for sport in Taverna. He loved all disciplines, from volleyball to basketball, which he practiced with passion, up to archery. There was no shortage of opportunities to find out about our boys’ results: he was always the first to call me after a success, even at a national level. It was one true sportsman, without distinctions, a person of healthy moral values, available and capable of always finding a solution. An authentic Sportsman.”
The Giuseppe Pascuzzi Memorial demonstrated how sport, when rooted in the community, can go beyond the rankings and the podium. In Taverna, archery has become a vehicle of memory and future, remembering those who built the foundations and offering younger people a concrete example of passion and dedication. A journey that will continue on Sunday 18 January with a new commemorative event, dedicated to Giorgia and Mattia, “The Angels of Smiles”: because sporting tradition, when authentic, does not limit itself to celebrating the past, but continues to generate meaning and responsibility.
