Italian Para-Archery Star Matteo Bonacina Arrested Amid Sexual Violence and Stalking Allegations

The world of Paralympic sports is reeling following the arrest of Matteo Bonacina, one of Italy’s most prominent para-archers. Bonacina, a 41-year-old athlete from Bergamo who long served as a symbol of resilience and excellence for the Italian national team, is currently under house arrest facing severe charges of sexual violence and stalking.

The investigation, led by the Rome Prosecutor’s Office and the Postal Police, paints a disturbing picture of systemic abuse and intimidation within the high-performance environment of the Italian Para-Archery program. According to investigators, the abuse spanned several years, from 2019 through 2024, with at least five female athletes and one coach identified as victims of Bonacina’s conduct.

The Paris Allegations: A Breach of Trust

While the investigation covers a half-decade of behavior, the most grave accusation centers on the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. Prosecutors allege that Bonacina attempted to rape a young teammate during the Games, an event that occurred in the sanctuary of the team’s hotel accommodations.

According to the victim’s testimony, Bonacina entered her hotel room immediately after she had exited the shower. The athlete reported that he lunged at her, making explicit sexual comments about her appearance on the team shuttle. The victim was able to fight him off and subsequently filed a formal complaint, sparking the deeper dive into Bonacina’s history with other teammates.

Beyond the attempted assault in Paris, the investigation has uncovered a pattern of predatory behavior. These allegations include:

• The sending of unsolicited photographs of his genitals to female colleagues.
• Demanding a teammate wear a red thong as a “lucky charm” for the Olympics.
• Public groping and persistent stalking.
• Sending threatening and sexually explicit messages to a minor athlete on the national team, including the phrase, “You don’t know what I would do to you.”

Allegations of a Systemic Cover-Up

The scandal extends beyond the actions of a single athlete. The Rome Prosecutor’s Office has also placed Guglielmo Fuchsova, the former technical director of the Italian national Paralympic team, under investigation. Fuchsova is accused of attempting to silence the victims and suppress reports of the abuse.

Investigators allege that Fuchsova used his position of power to intimidate the athletes, threatening them with the loss of their national team call-ups if they spoke out about Bonacina’s behavior. This dynamic created an environment where victims felt trapped between reporting a predator and sacrificing their professional athletic careers.

For those unfamiliar with the structure of national teams, the technical director often holds absolute power over who is selected for major competitions. When that power is used to shield an abuser, the sporting environment transforms from a place of growth into one of peril.

The Fall of a Champion

For years, Matteo Bonacina was celebrated not just for his accuracy on the range, but for his personal story of survival. He rose to international prominence and became a world champion following a life-altering tragedy in 2009, making him a beacon of hope for athletes with disabilities across Italy.

However, the Italian Archery Federation (Federazione italiana Tiro con l’Arco) had begun taking action long before the recent criminal arrests. Following internal reports of misconduct, the federation’s sports justice arm suspended Bonacina in May 2025. This suspension was later upgraded to a permanent ban (radiato) from the sport, with the federation subsequently forwarding all evidence to the public prosecutor’s office.

Bonacina has since challenged the federation’s decision in court. In response, the Italian Archery Federation has formally joined the legal proceedings to request that his appeal be rejected, signaling a firm stance against the athlete’s attempt to return to competition.

Implications for Para-Sports Governance

This case highlights a recurring and systemic failure in the protection of athletes within specialized sporting niches. The gap between sports justice—which handles bans and suspensions—and criminal justice—which handles arrests and imprisonment—often allows predators to operate in the shadows for years before a criminal threshold is met.

The involvement of a high-ranking official like Fuchsova suggests that the “culture of silence” was not merely accidental but actively maintained. For the global Paralympic community, this serves as a stark reminder that safeguarding protocols must be independent of the coaching and technical staff who manage athlete selection.

As the legal process unfolds in Rome, the Italian Para-Archery team must now navigate the fallout of having one of its most decorated figures exposed as a predator. The focus now shifts to the victims and whether the justice system can provide the accountability that the sporting hierarchy failed to ensure for five years.

The next confirmed checkpoint in this case will be the preliminary hearings to determine if Bonacina and Fuchsova will proceed to a full criminal trial. We will continue to monitor the filings from the Rome Prosecutor’s Office for updates on the proceedings.

Do you believe sporting federations should have mandatory, independent reporting lines that bypass technical directors? Let us know in the comments below.