Final Cut in Florence: Italian Para-Archery Team Gears Up for European Championships

The road to Rome has reached its most critical junction. Starting tomorrow, April 6, the Italian National Para-Archery team will converge on Florence for a high-stakes training camp and evaluation event that will determine who represents the Azzurri at the upcoming European Para-Archery Championships.

From April 6 to April 9, the elite squad will seize to the field at the Campo degli Arcieri Città di Firenze Ugo di Toscana. For the athletes involved, this isn’t just a routine practice session; We see a final audition. The coaching staff will use the results of the evaluation competition to finalize the roster for the continental showpiece, which is scheduled to take place in Rome from April 28 to May 3.

Having covered the intensity of the Olympic and Paralympic Games for over 15 years, I have seen how these final “filter” events can shift the momentum of a season. In a sport where millimeters separate a gold medal from a podium miss, the psychological pressure of a selection trial often mirrors the tension of the finals themselves.

The Roster: Who is Fighting for a Spot?

The Comitato Italiano Paralimpico has summoned a deep pool of talent across several disciplines. The competition in Florence is divided by bow type and athlete classification, ensuring a fair evaluation of skill and consistency.

Recurve Open

The Recurve category utilizes the “Olympic bow,” requiring athletes to shoot from 70 meters at targets measuring 122 cm. In this discipline, victory is decided by a set system: the winner of a volée earns two points, a draw earns one and the first athlete to reach six points wins the match.

The athletes summoned for the Recurve evaluation include:

• Giuseppe Verzini (Arcieri Cormons)
• Stefano Travisani (GSPD)
• Davide Bettoni (Fiamme Gialle)
• Roberto Airoldi (Arcieri Cameri)
• Vincenza Petrilli (Fiamme Oro)
• Veronica Floreno (GSPD)
• Elisabetta Mijno (Arcieri delle Alpi)
• Laura Pierami (Arcieri Kentron Dard)

Compound Open

The Compound category often sees higher precision due to the mechanical advantages of the bow. The battle for a spot in the European squad will feature:

• Fabio Cappellazzo (Arcieri San Donà di Piave)
• Giampaolo Cancelli (PHB)
• Christian Seneca (Kosmos Rovereto)
• Eleonora Sarti (GSPD)
• Giulia Pesci (GSPD)
• Maria Andrea Virgilio (Fiamme Azzurre)
• Irene Picci (Arcieri Padovani)

W1 and Visually Impaired (VI) Categories

The W1 category, designed for athletes with impairment in both the upper and lower body, will witness a showdown between:

• Paolo Tonon (GSPD)
• Maurizio Panella (GSPD)
• Francesco Maria Sorato (Frecce Azzurre)
• Asia Pellizzari (Fiamme Oro)
• Dalia Dameno (Arcieri Città di Firenze Ugo di Toscana)

the camp will integrate athletes from the visually impaired categories, with Matteo Panariello (Arcieri Livornesi) representing V.I.1 and Daniele Piran (Arco Club Bolzano Vicentino) representing V.I. 2/3.

Why This Moment Matters

Italy enters the 2026 European cycle with a formidable legacy. Para-archery has been a cornerstone of the Italian Paralympic movement, with the nation securing at least one podium finish in nine consecutive Paralympic Games. This consistency is a testament to the integration between para-athletes and the standards used by the “normodotati” (non-disabled) national teams, as many Italian archers have competed across both spheres.

For the global reader, it is helpful to understand that Paralympic archery is unique in its ability to allow athletes with physical disabilities to compete under rules and procedures nearly identical to those of the Olympic Games. Whether shooting from a wheelchair or a standing position, the objective remains the same: absolute precision under extreme pressure.

The upcoming European Para-Archery Championships in Rome are not merely a regional title fight. They serve as a critical benchmark for form and a psychological springboard for athletes aiming for international glory. With the event hosted on home soil in Rome, the expectation for the Azzurri will be immense.

Technical Breakdown: The Path to the Gold

The evaluation in Florence will test more than just the ability to hit the center of the target. The staff will be looking for “match toughness”—the ability to maintain a steady heart rate and a clean release when the stakes are high. In the Recurvo Open, for example, the volatility of the set system means a single bad arrow can cost a set, but a strong recovery can still secure the match.

The variety of clubs represented in the summons—from the Fiamme Oro and Fiamme Gialle military sports groups to local clubs like Arcieri Cormons—shows the depth of the Italian talent pipeline. This diversity in training environments often gives the Italian team a tactical edge, as athletes bring different perspectives on technique and mental preparation to the national camp.

For more information on the governing body of the sport in Italy, readers can visit the FITARCO official website.

Looking Ahead

Once the arrows stop flying in Florence on April 9, the coaching staff will have the data they need to announce the final convocations. The selected athletes will then have less than three weeks to fine-tune their equipment and mental game before the opening ceremony in Rome on April 28.

The trajectory is clear: Florence is the forge, and Rome is the stage. For these archers, the next four days will define the next several months of their professional lives.

Next Checkpoint: The final roster for the European Para-Archery Championships is expected to be announced following the conclusion of the Florence evaluation on April 9, 2026.

Do you think the home-field advantage in Rome will push the Azzurri to a record-breaking performance? Let us grasp your thoughts in the comments below.