Can you tell us more about your work at the Veneto Paralympic Committee and your main goals?
The Veneto Paralympic Committee renewed its governance in April. The new working group immediately identified three areas of focus for the next four years: the first is healthcare, to integrate physical activity and sports into the rehabilitation processes that people with disabilities turn to for maintenance; the second is education, involving schools and universities to support student integration into sports and promote the Paralympic approach, including through scholarships and master’s degrees; the third is sports, primarily with CONI, for collaboration with sports clubs to bring the Paralympic sector to the forefront.
Could you provide us with more details on the joint efforts with other partners at sporting events for fundamental rights regarding disability?
Many public institutions, both in the cultural and social fields, support our movement. The right to sports only became a right on June 23, 2023, when it was included in the Italian Constitution: the shift from opportunities to rights was only two years ago. Networking with all those who support and promote rights is crucial.
Through our network of 100 universities, the EU has helped fund human rights training, and more than 7,000 graduates from these universities are now human rights ambassadors and defenders in international, governmental, and civil society organizations. What inspires you, as President of CIP Veneto, to become a new partner of the Global Campus of Human Rights?
The Global Campus is training future generations who will fight for the protection and promotion of rights worldwide. Even today, the world of disability is subject to discrimination in many places. Sport is a right yet to be achieved. I would like to contribute precisely to this spirit of synergy we mentioned earlier, because unity is strength.
What motivated you to contribute to the first edition of our “Annual Joint Award on Sports, Arts, and Human Rights,” with the Global Campus and the Panathlon Venezia given to the Paralympic athlete Francesca Tarantello?
Francesca Tarantello excels in triathlon and is an example of sacrifice and resilience in the face of the barriers and obstacles so many athletes face every day. This is especially true as a woman, given that the female participation rate in sports currently stands at 25%. Recognizing a female athlete is a sign of care and encouragement for the many women with disabilities stuck at home.
Can you leave us a personal message for the students, professors, partners, and staff of the Global Campus of Human Rights?
It’s thrilling to be able to showcase the Paralympic movement in an international context like the Global Campus, which brings together many universities united by a single goal: to promote human rights that are still trampled upon and ignored in too many parts of the planet. It’s a moment of great hope: we must work to achieve them, but also, where they have been recognized, to maintain them and not retreat. It’s a battle of civilization to be fought together with enthusiasm and strength.
For more information contact our Communications and Press Offices:
Elisa Aquino – Isotta Esposito – Carlotta Brunetta
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