Thursday, June 14 marks the eighth edition of Games Without Barriers, a charity event dedicated to integration and the promotion of paralympic sport, created by the art4sport ONLUS Association. The initiative grew out of the story of Beatrice "Bebe" Vio, paralympic fencing champion, gold medalist at the Rio 2016 Paralympics and the Rome 2017 World Championships. For the third consecutive year, Games Without Barriers will take place at the striking Marble Stadium in Rome (the event began in 2011 in Mogliano Veneto, home of the Association, then moved to the Milan Civic Arena in 2015 during Expo). The event will draw numerous guests from the world of sports and entertainment, who will play active roles throughout the evening. Alongside Bebe Vio, many athletes will gather at the Marble Stadium: Demetrio Albertini, Martin Castrogiovanni, Jury Chechi, Valentina Marchei, Luca Marin, Carlo Molfetta, Carlton Myers, Massimiliano Rosolino, Stefano Tonut, Valentina Vezzali, and Ivan Zaytsev. Major names in Italian music joining the action will include Lorenzo Baglioni, Benji & Fede, Elodie, Fedez, and Paola Turci. The evening will also feature Giovanni Bruno, Martina Colombari, Paolo Conticini, Danilo da Fiumicino, Pio and Amedeo, Sofia Viscardi, and the cast of Amici. The real stars of the show, however, will be eight teams from eight Italian cities: Turin, Milan, Treviso, Livorno, Fano, Assisi, Rome, and Oristano. These teams, ready to compete in the arena, will be made up of adults and children, disabled and able-bodied together, and will be captained by the evening's celebrity guests. The various competitions will be inspired by this eighth edition's theme: superheroes. Often, the young athletes of Art4sport and paralympic athletes more broadly are seen as superheroes, especially by children with disabilities (and by others too). This matters deeply to Art4sport because it helps countless children and their families find the motivation and strength to leave home, socialize, and participate in sports—the true heart of the association's mission. The Medusa Trio will host the event for the third year running. Italy's two major sports committees, the CIP (led by President Luca Pancalli) and the CONI (led by President Giovanni Malagò), strongly supported holding the eighth Games Without Barriers at the Marble Stadium again, affirming their commitment to the project carried forward by art4sport ONLUS. Other major sponsors include the Ministry of Sports, the Lazio Region, the City of Rome, and the Italian Red Cross. The event will be livestreamed at: https://www.elevensports.it/live
Source: Dire