The majestic setting of the brand new Pavillion of Portopiccolo hosted the charity event promoted by the amateur sports club Sport X All, Portopiccolo Sistiana and Lions Club International, in support of paralympic ski.
The event was part of the broader initiative “Aspettando i Mondiali Tarvisio 2017” (Waiting for the World Championships Tarvisio 2017) and aims at raising awareness, in the community, of the aspects related to sport and disability. The funds raised during the gala dinner will be used, during this ski season in Friuli Venezia Giulia, to offer free weekend skiing courses to disabled boys and girls.
During the event, the athlete Giulia Oblach, who is studying at the University of Udine for the Bachelor’s Degree in Cultural Mediation, received her prize.
Paolo Tavian, the President of the Organising Committee for the Paralympic World Championships Tarvisio 2017 declared: “Giulia is a model for our community, and not only for young people. She has shown us how a disabling physical condition, such as blindness, can be beautifully managed to achieve excellent results both as a student and as an athlete”.
“The trust you have in the guide that directs you while descending – at a speed that, in the World Cup, reaches 100 km/h – as a blind or partially sighted athlete, is a good metaphor to describe the essence of the paralympic movement. You need fortitude, trust, team and training. Strong relationships, based on mutual development and understanding, are essential”.
Even if just for one day, skiing in the mountains, for a disabled person, is the experience of a lifetime and this is why we organised this fundraising event, to offer this experience to as many as possible.
The award ceremony saw the participation of Ms Michela Mason, researcher at the Department of Economics and Statistics of the University of Udine, and Melania Corradini, winner of the silver medal for alpine skiing in the Paralympic Games Vancouver 2010, athlete of the Italian National Team, and proud supporter of Sport X All.
To see the photo-gallery, please visit our Facebook profile.