He said it without superstitious, Lisa Guerrera25 years old, skier, ai Special Olympics world winter gamesfor athletes with intellectual disabilities for the alpine ski races, at the end of the Sestriere track still with the skis on the feet as soon as he got out of the divisioning, the qualification that inserts the athletes in the race suitable for their skills: “The race went well”, he said, satisfied with the performance: “But tomorrow I am faster”. Said and done: gold in the giant and silver in Superg.
Unlike most of the skiers here Lisa here was not born next to the slopes: “I live in Lecco, I work as a worker,” he said: “But we have a house in Pian delle Betulle and it is there that at four I started skiing. The really beautiful thing about the Special Oympics winter world games is that there are athletes of all nationalities and I have fun competing. There are all my family members to cheer ».
Guerrera a Turin 2025 He signed up for all four races including the free descent: «Sofia Goggia is my idol, when she learned that I came to the World Cup she also sent me a video of encouragement. A great emotion ».
Families in Special Olympics adventure are important, they are the first to encourage children to sport when children are young. While we talked to Lisa Guerrera a complete Mexican family all equipped with multicolored sombreri celebrated the young home athlete, a daughter, a grandson, overwhelming her with hugs, reciprocated. Not all Special Olympics athletes are young, there is no age limit to participate, the criteria with which to invite the national joints of the Special Olympics International decides them.
Special Olympics Italia asks to have participated at least in the previous national games and the criterion is partly sporting in part of autonomy, personal progress.
The ultimate purpose is not only the race or the sporting result, but the conquest of one step more of autonomy in life beyond the race field. For this reason, those who participate, even if they have families in tow, do not live with family members themselves but during the event stands with their companions, with coach, with the delegation, as happens to Olympic and Paralympic games.
Because the event is possible, many volunteers are needed: Turin 2025 recruited 3,000 of it against 1,500 athletes. There are stable ones, which come from all over the world and perhaps remain for the whole event, others that revolve, like the school children in school-work alternation, or employees of Coca-Cola, founding partner of Special Olympics since 1968 and global sponsor since then at least at 2031, who lend themselves for a few days: by bounding the traffic in the race offices, serving in the canteen if it happens. “There are volunteers who had already participated in the Turin Olympiad 2006,” he says right under the race track in Sestriere, Fulvia Tiboldo, That coordinates them, “the first approach to formation is cultural, you must learn what is special Olympics, then you learn the tasks, some simpler, such as controlling passage or giving indications of the spaces reserved for the various categories, others more complex such as the management of 900 ski pairs to be included in the deposit containers after the race without making mistakes or storage of the rigid ceremonial of the awards, which are a very important event for special athletes for special athletes Olympics (everyone receives a prize, even if then gold, silver and bronze are awarded to those who arrive first, editor’s note): For many, participating in that ceremonial, having a moment of protagonism, is a unique experience of consideration received».
Not in all countries there is the same attention and the same consideration, many lack structures and for some special Olympics and its Health Program, in conjunction with the races, it is the only opportunity to have a complete check-up. We ask how complicated it is to relate to many variables: “It may seem difficult”, explains Fulvia, “but if you put yourself in a listening size, Special Olympics athletes make you understand how they want to be approached: there are those who ask for a hug and make you understand, Those who prefer not to be touched and somehow become understood even if maybe it doesn’t speak. Among themselves who have different languages, and sometimes communicate in non -verbal ways even at home, they find a relationship of relationship ».
Just look at them in the bottom of the track to understand that it is true. Just observe the very young Australian athlete who, at the end of the race, gives 5 to the whole audience while he also passes to those who do not know and the high Canadian girl who parades away very fast looking straight ahead. And at Palatazzoli on the short track track the most beautiful scene is that of the oldest opponents who wait, applaud and encourage the very young dubbed left behind a few lapsbecause he concludes his race.
“The best time in the coordination of volunteers” says Tiboldo about the experience of the students of the Piedmontese and Valley schools alternating school work, like the two of Pinerolo’s prevers that we met first and indicated the road, “is when able -bodied boys realize when they receive from the athletes”.
This concept of receiving more than giving uses in all volunteers, but not only in them: «I approached this world many years ago thanks to my daughter: I loved skiing, on the slopes I met my husbandit was an era in which it was still thought that the intellectual disability should remain imprisoned in the institutes: we began to bring some boys to ski, swim and now, at 79 years old, here I am, as a coach at the World Cup for the first time “, he says Anna Maria Mariani, “And I realize that if there had been no special Olympics athletes when my husband was missing, my world would have crumbled and instead thanks to them I am still on skis, with the prosthesis on one knee and about to put the second”.
The difficulties do not deny themselves, they are part of this world as of all worlds together with the conquests: “I don’t know if you learn”, he says Elena Viviani, Tosta and Franca coach, in the belly of Palatazzoli, in Turin following the athletes who play the race with the snowshoes: «A little yes, we must be brought to us. And realizing that it can happen to lose patience too. The wrong thing is the pietism of ‘but yes, poorness’, which leaves everyone to the point where they are because it does not grow: if you want to help in autonomy you must also know how to say no, teach the rules of play and life with the right language. If a behavior is rude to others, it must be taught that it is not done. If at the table one asks for three pasta dishes, it is explained that if you are athletes special Olympics, you must eat correctly. Only in this way is true autonomy conquers and the dignity of the person is respected, the ‘but yes, poorness to leave him doing’ is not dignity ».
This is understood and also that the Olympic spirit, without adjectives, has returned to blow in Turin in the belly of the Valsi Arena, the Pala Isozaki of Turin 2006, while the Floorball matches are underway, the variant of the Hockey, but as a gym, where you meet unified teams – mixed athletes and athletes, with and without disabilities -: Iraq greets Japan who passes, the Kenya coach gets up to give five to his colleague Giordano and makes him sit down, while Italy celebrates his 4-3 to Germany. This is the same building that saw the triumph of Jannik Sinner at the Atp Finals and equal opportunities also pass from here. From places. From what they symbolically represent.
On Saturday evening the flame of Turin 2025 is turned off, but all these people will continue to work each in the places of origin because they remain on in life. Not by chance they call it the flame of hope. Everyone knows that the job to do is a lot and the road as well.
