Parakarate, in retreat for the World Championships and disabled by the Italian national team

Mattia Allesina is 24 years old, in life he works in a company that produces sushi, has a degree in accounting, supports Inter Milan and is very much in love with Beatrice with whom he has been engaged for 7 years. Determined and determined, when he gets on the tatami there is nothing for anyone. Daniele Montanari is a funny guy, he always has a smile on his face and just two days ago he turned 25 celebrating with his idol Luigi Busà and the other Azzurri here at the Olympic Center in Ostia. To live, he carries crates of fruit, he also studied accounting and has been engaged to Alice for 4 years. Then there is Daniele Alfonsi, who is 27 years old, he is more shy, but he is the rock of the team, the captain. He graduated from the artistic with 93 out of 100, he is keen to clarify it, he is engaged to a judoka, Caterina, and is a fan of Lazio. The first two are from Varese, the third from Rome. The three of them are the blue standard bearers of parakarate who in a few days will participate in the Dubai World Cup in the k22 category – intellectual disability, down syndrome.

the news

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From 10 November they are facing a retreat made up of training and sacrifices, just like the Azzurri of the senior national team who are sharing with them many special moments of this college. It had never happened that athletes from parakarate and the first team faced the same pre-start program for such an important competition. “This is the real inclusion – commented Luca Nicosanti, the blue coach and manager of the parakarate who accompanies them in this adventure-. It is a dream come true. Seeing them sharing hardships, joys and sorrows, climbing on the same tatami as the champions is something unique. And we are sure that in Dubai they will also share the same joys ”.

karate and disability

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Karate is a discipline that requires perseverance, patience and dedication, especially in the specific case of kata (the forms). You learn to know yourself better, to overcome your limits. For this, and for many other reasons related to the motor aspect, it is one of the most suitable sports for the disabled. Alfonsi, Allesina and Montanari are proof of this: all three have been practicing karate for more than 10 years, they started at a very young age in the kata specialty and now proudly show the tricolor stitched on the chest of their karategi.

With many national and international competitions behind them, they are now true champions, but in front of their idols they still know how to get excited: “For us, being here with Luigi Busà, Viviana Bottaro and all the other Azzurri is already a victory – commented Mattia – . We had fun with them and worked hard, the training went great… Let’s go to Dubai to rock! ”.

inclusion

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At the Olympic Center, in these days, the true “inclusive karate” has been experienced, that is the practice of the discipline jointly between able-bodied and disabled athletes: “The champions welcomed us with open arms, it was magical, difficult to explain in words – underlined Nicosanti -. I thank Fijlkam for this opportunity, for believing in inclusion and for demonstrating it with facts. We breathed a beautiful air that did good both to the parakarate boys and to the blues of the senior national team, they are all very charged and this union will bring great results “.

And the sharing will also continue throughout the world championship: the Azzurri will leave all together on Saturday 13 November towards Dubai and the competitions will begin on the 16th. The parakarate will then be staged on the 21st morning, eliminations and finals.