Panathlon International

A A look both within and beyond borders to capture a current snapshot of what is being done to support people with disabilities, and how sport can help overcome difficulties and restore enthusiasm—even give life a new meaning. This was the spirit of “Disability Without Borders”, the conference held in Pordenone to open the 104th Caregiving Expo, the first edition of a fair entirely dedicated to everything related to disability and those who help and offer new perspectives to people who lack—or have lost—full physical function.

Under the impeccable moderation of Filippo Grassia, Head of Communication for Panathlon International, representatives from Italy, Austria, Slovenia, and Croatia came together to discuss the current status, projects, initiatives, and future outlook for disability support and Paralympic sport.

The event was opened and closed by Panathlon International President Giorgio Chinellato, who emphasized P.I.'s commitment to supporting Paralympic sport—as well as its efforts to prevent potential disabilities. “One of many examples,” he noted, “is the pressure we're putting on automobile federations to develop an educational program in schools, so future drivers and motorcyclists are trained in safe driving, traffic laws, and good practices on the road—to prevent accidents that all too often have serious consequences on health and future life.”

The conference also featured Giada Rossi, gold medalist in table tennis singles at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and the event’s patron; Carlotta Ragazzini, bronze medalist in the same discipline in Paris; and sports commentator Dario Di Gennaro, the voice of Paralympic sport on RAI.

Jessica Acquavita (Vice President, Istria Region, Croatia): “In Croatia, there are public investments in building infrastructure and sports facilities that enable people with disabilities to participate in sports. There is also government support, including funding, to promote sports among children in schools, culminating in interschool championships. These are sports activities, but also lifesaving ones, as they represent an investment in public health, especially for the younger generations.”

Major Sabina Ferraris (Italian Armed Forces, Paralympic Sports Office): “Our sports group has 88 athletes, most of them military personnel who were injured in the line of duty. But thirty of them are civilian Paralympic athletes—top performers—whom we've contracted on three-year agreements. We hope to retain them permanently in the future as civilian staff within the military administration. The message we want to send is clear: we leave no one behind. If you are no longer able to serve your country in arms, you can still serve it through sport.”

Boro Strumbelj (Head of Delegation, Slovenia, Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games): “Our government is preparing a project to include young people with disabilities through Paralympic sport. We must build a chain of trust between the sports world, pediatricians, and parents—raising awareness among parents so they bring their children to try Paralympic sports. We will go to their homes to find them, and pediatricians—who know individual cases—must help us. There is also a project in the works for people over 60. They are often forgotten, but they too need support.”

Giada Rossi (Paralympic Gold Medalist, Paris 2024, Table Tennis): “I used to play volleyball and had just been selected for the U14 regional team when I had the accident that left me disabled. I needed time to adapt to my new condition, but after four years—thanks to my PE teacher Marinella Ambrosio—I returned to the gym and tried table tennis. It felt like being born again. As a child, I dreamed of becoming a professional volleyball player. Today, thanks to my contract with the Armed Forces Sports Group, I’m living that dream in table tennis.”

Michael Ausserwinkler (President, Panathlon Club Klagenfurt, and former Austrian Federal Health Minister): “The ‘Without Borders’ joint bid between Austria, Italy, and Slovenia for the 2006 Winter Olympics was a fascinating experience. That collaboration can live on today through Paralympic projects. In Austria, there is significant attention to disability and Paralympic sport, with funding available at national, regional, and local levels.”

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The press conference for the “104 - The Caregiving Expo” Fair was held today at the Rugby Pordenone clubhouse. This unique and extraordinary event brings together the entire world of care for disabled and frail people at the Pordenone exhibition centre. In the presence of the mayor of Pordenone and the President of the Chamber of Commerce of Udine and Pordenone, the president of the Pordenone Fair, Renato Pujatti, presented this innovative event, which aims to be a trailblazer in a very important and delicate sector. There will be 170 exhibitors, including the most important companies in the sector, associations dealing with these issues, doctors and nurses, with meetings, seminars and demonstrations aimed at the public, professionals and private individuals who wish to attend. Admission is free upon registration.

Panathlon International was given a place of honour, represented by IB Member Paolo Perin who, together with Marinella d'Ambrosio of ANAOAI, explained how an entire pavilion will be reserved for sport. The patron of the event will be Giada Rossi, the talented Paralympic gold medallist in table tennis in Paris, who will also be the star, together with her national teammates, of an exciting exhibition.

There will be a large international participation from Slovenia, Croatia and Austria.

The inauguration, scheduled for 1.45 p.m. on Thursday 8 May, will be attended by President Giorgio Chinellato together with important representatives of international Panathlon clubs and the world of Paralympic sport. Our communications manager Filippo Grassia will moderate a round table discussion entitled “Sport and disability”, in which representatives from the four countries will talk about the management of Paralympic sport in their respective countries.

In the following days, international teams will compete in tournaments and demonstration matches of baskin, powerchair hockey and sitting volleyball. Thanks to 200 athletes and 25 sports clubs, it will be possible to try out more than 20 different sports under the guidance of coaches and athletes.

On Tuesday 29 April, at 12 noon, the exhibition of the thirty best photographs from the 2025 Photo Contest, promoted by the Panathlon International “Domenico Chiesa” Foundation and the Reggio Emilia Municipal Sports Foundation, was inaugurated at UNIMORE in Reggio Emilia.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by the Councillor for Sport Stefania Bondavalli, the Director of the Sports Foundation Silvia Signorelli, the President of the Panathlon Club Reggio Emilia and Treasurer of the PI D.Chiesa Foundation, Enrico Prandi, and many panathletes from the club.

The exhibition, part of the OFF Circuit of European Photography 2025, is dedicated to the theme “Being twenty: the sport I live” and involved young photographers between the ages of 18 and 35. The initiative was a great success, offering an authentic glimpse into the world of sport as experienced by Generation Z.

The works on display come from six countries — Argentina, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain and Uruguay — and depict all kinds of sports, not just Olympic ones.

On Saturday 3 May, the award ceremony for the winners was held in Piazza del Giost in Reggio Emilia, in the presence of the President of Panathlon International, Giorgio Chinellato, and local authorities.

THE AWARDS

FIRST PRIZE to “Blades and trail running” by Ilaria Cariello (Italy), with the following motivation:

The shot speaks for itself. It is a testament to how people with disabilities can overcome any difficulty and find in sport a dimension of freedom to express their passion to the extreme, even for so-called able-bodied people. The perfect focus highlights the dynamism of the gesture in a race of great concentration, which only passion and constant training can make possible.

“Blades and trail running” by Ilaria Cariello also received the Panathlon Clubs Special Award, presented by representatives of the 260 Panathlon clubs operating in 31 countries.

SECOND PRIZE went to “Riflessi nella storia” (Reflections in History) by Fabio Piacenza with the following motivation:

The sense of tranquillity and freedom conveyed by the figures running lightly along the Tiber embankment at sunset evokes a journey through beauty, combining physical activity and the urban environment in a deeply meaningful way, which becomes art, assisted by skilful photographic technique.

THIRD PRIZE to ‘Defying the concret’ by Nico Bilinkis (Argentina) with the following motivation:

Born as a street sport, skateboarding made its debut at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and Paris as an “additional” sport and will be part of the ‘main’ sports at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. It is a sport much loved by young and very young people. The photograph shows a training session conducted with careful attention to technique in order to perform an aerial trick aimed at learning one of the figures that are part of the performances. The attention to detail defines the commitment and consistency that we recognise in every sport. 

Trois MENTIONS d'honneur ont été décernées à : Pietro Borra, Fabio Piacenza, Vittoria Sonego.

In the cover photo: the Councillor for Sport of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, Stefania Bondavalli, cuts the ribbon, in the presence of the Director of the Sports Foundation of the Municipality of R.E. Silvia Signorelli, the President of the Panathlon Club Reggio Emilia Enrico Prandi and panathletes from the club.

We are delighted to announce the 2nd Webinar Series organised by the Culture, Research and Education Commission of Panathlon International.

Topic: Match fixing and betting integrity: The challenge of the 21st century, coordinator Fabio Figueiras (P)

The webinar will be held in Portuguese with automatic translation of subtitles on Zoom for all languages.

We invite PI members and anyone interested to participate in this interesting online meeting

Access with the QR code or 

https://bit.ly/webinar2pi

Free event ....

PI-Präsident Chinellato mit Alphornklängen empfangen

Giorgio Chinellato, Präsident von Panathlon International (PI), besuchte die Delegiertenversammlung des Schweizer Distrikts in Neuchâtel am Samstag, den 26.04.2025. Er wurde von Schweiz-Präsident Peter Wüthrich mit urchigen Alphorn-Klängen auf dem Neuenburger Hausberg Chaumont empfangen. 

Die Traktanden der Distriktversammlung wurden alle ohne Diskussionen im Schnellgang durchgearbeitet.

Ys. Bereits am Vorabend der Distriktversammlung hiess der Schweizer Präsident Peter Wüthrich seinen internationalen Kollegen mit typisch schweizerischen Alphornklängen herzlich willkommen. Auf dem Aussichtsturm des Neuenburger Hausbergs Chaumont spielte Wüthrich mit seinem Volks-Instrument dem Venezianer ein musikalisches Willkommen und zeigte ihm die landschaftlichen Schönheiten des Schweizer Distrikts.

Am Samstag wurde die Distriktversammlung mit der Begrüssung durch den Conseiller d’Etat Frédéric Mairy eröffnet. Er zog u.a. ein umfassendes Résumé zu den sportlichen Höhepunkten der Stadt Neuenburg und hiess die Delegierten von 20 Clubs willkommen. Alice Holzer, die für die WEURO 2025 der Frauen im Sommer für das Legacy-Projekt verantwortlich ist, brachte mit einem faktenreichen und empathischen Referat den internationalen wie nationalen Frauenfussball und das wichtigste Grossereignis dieses Sommers den Delegierten auf eine lockere und engagierte Art und Weise näher. Sie ist überzeugt, dass die WEURO in der Schweiz den Frauenfussball um Jahre nach vorne katapultieren wird. Folgende Ziele werden angestrebt: 

- Verdoppelung der Anzahl Spielerinnen im Breitensport

- Verdoppelung der Anzahl Konsumenten/innen an den Spielen der Elite-Ligen

- Stärkung des Einflusses von Frauen in den wichtigen Gremien

Präsident Peter Wüthrich eröffnete anschliessend den offiziellen Teil der Distriktversammlung und übergab das Wort an den höchsten Gast, an den PI Präsidenten Giorgio Chinellato: Dieser liess seine ersten Monate im Amt kurz Revue passieren und erklärte seine wichtigsten Ziele: 

- Fairplay in den Schulen fördern

- «One Ocean» – der Kampf für saubere Gewässer

- Stärkung der Kommunikation intern und extern – Panathlon-Bewegung bekannter machen

- Ethik im Sport vorantreiben

- Verhältnis zum IOC ausbauen und intensivieren

- Hikikomori-Projekt weiterverfolgen – Kampf gegen Einsamkeit von Jugendlichen

Zudem erklärte er die aktuellen Sparmassnahmen und machte auf die wichtige Online-Präsidienkonferenz vom 24. Mai 2025 aufmerksam, wo u.a. das neue Spar-Budget abgesegnet werden muss.

Jahresrechnung mit Gewinn

Die üblichen Distriktversammlungs-Traktanden wurden zügig durchgearbeitet und ohne grosse Diskussionen durch gewunken. Präsident Wüthrich zog eine positive Bilanz des Jahres 2024 mit seinem BIV-Raster: Begegnungen (monats-Anlässe der Clubs besuchen), Information (u.a. aktueller Newsletter) und Kontakt-Vermittlung. Er freute sich über die Präsenz von 20 Clubs, hofft aber immer noch, dass einmal alle 32 Clubs anwesend sein werden. Weniger Freude hatte er an den 3 Clubs, die unentschuldigt ferngeblieben sind. Erfreulich hingegen der Finanzabschluss des Jahres 2024. So konnte dank rigorosen Sparmassnahmen ein Gewinn von 3100.- CHF erwirtschaftet werden. 

Beim Jahresprogramm konnte bereits auf den ersten Anlass zurückgeschaut werden: Der Besuch an der Biathlon-WM auf der Lenzerheide war ein schöner Erfolg, wurde von zahlreichen Panathleten/innen besucht und zeigte einen spannenden Einblick hinter die Kulissen dieses Grossanlasses. Weiter stehen auf dem Programm: Die Sport-Talks vom Mo 05.05.2025 in Solothurn (Fussball WEURO) und Zofingen (Auf dem Weg an die Spitze) und die Vorstände-Konferenz in Muri-Gümligen (Fr 29.08.2025). Das Jahr wird dann am Mo, den 03.11.2025 mit dem traditionellen Sportforum in Solothurn abgeschlossen. 

Ein grosses Dankeschön geht ans Neuenburger Organisations-Team mit Diana Barbacci und Präsident Daniel de Martini an der Spitze, welche diese Distriktversammlung an einer wunderschönen Location am Lac de Neuchâtel vorbereiteten und zu einem Erlebnis werden liessen. 

Die nächste Distriktversammlung wird in einem Jahr in Luzern am 18. April 2026 stattfinden. 

Peter Wüthrich bei der Präsentation des Jahresprogramms.                    Präsident Peter Wüthrich empfing den Präsidenten von Panathlon International Giorgio Chinellato (2.v.r.), Diana Barbacci (OK Neuenburg, 3.v.r.), Chinellatos Ehefrau  (2.v.l.) und Hans Roth                                                                                                                                                      (Distriktvorstand) auf dem Berg Chaumont bei Neuenburg mit Alphornklängen.

46 disciplines sportives à découvrir gratuitement en famille

Les Panathlon Family Games®, manifestation phare de la région lausannoise, sont de retour les 17 et 18 mai 2025 ! Jeunes et moins jeunes pourront découvrir et tester 46 sports présentés et encadrés par des clubs. La 14e édition de l’événement populaire du Panathlon Club de Lausanne aura lieu aux Pyramides de Vidy, au Stade Pierre-de-Coubertin et à l’Espace Fair-play. Inscriptions gratuites, dans la limite des places disponibles le samedi.

La formule à succès sur deux journées différentes est reconduite pour la troisième fois depuis la création des Panathlon Family Games® en 2010. Le samedi 17 mai, de petits groupes d’enfants dès 8 ans bénéficieront d’initiations de 45 minutes, encadrés par des monitrices et moniteurs, sans la présence des parents. Le dimanche 18 mai, les expérimentations d’une trentaine de minutes auront lieu sous forme de portes ouvertes en famille, avec des enfants à partir de 6 ans.

Des sports inédits sont au programme à Vidy : l’art du maniement du Katana, la lutte suisse, le trial et le triathlon. L’athlétisme, la voile (bateaux et optimists) et le curling font leur retour. 46 disciplines, un nouveau record, seront présentées au bord du lac par les associations et clubs partenaires (38 sports le samedi, 42 le dimanche). Plus de la moitié des 4’300 sessions du samedi affichent déjà complet ! La participation reste totalement gratuite, en s’inscrivant jusqu’au 14 mai 2025 et dans la limite des places disponibles pour le samedi, sur le site internet www.family-games.ch.

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Una vez más, vivimos una jornada especial: Asamblea, Convivio, ingreso de un nuevo socio y reconocimientos.

Momentos como estos nos llenan de orgullo y alegría, porque reflejan el espíritu de nuestro club: compromiso, crecimiento y comunidad.

Es un placer ver cómo seguimos avanzando, sumando voluntades y fortaleciendo nuestros lazos.

Gracias a quienes lo hacen posible. ¡Que sigamos creciendo, siempre juntos!

Comisión Directiva Club Panathlon Maldonado Punta del Este

Fiera di Pordenone - Viale Treviso 1

8, 9, 10 May 2025 

Three days dedicated to inclusive sport, with the participation of experts, technicians, managers and over 200 athletes from 20 sports clubs from Austria, Croatia, Italy and Slovenia. Tournaments, exhibitions, round tables, presentations to understand how sport can overcome all barriers and unite people. 

Patroness of the event will be Paralympic gold medal athlete Giada Rossi.

The pavilion dedicated to sport will be officially inaugurated on Thursday 8 May at 1.45 p.m. The President of Panathlon International Giorgio Chinellato and the National President ANAOAI Novella Calligaris will bring the greetings, together with the representatives of the municipal administration and the Fair of Pordenone. There will be the patroness of the event, Giada Rossi, Paralympic gold medallist in Table Tennis in Paris, and the international delegations of Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. 

The conferences

Thursday, May 8, 2:00 PM: Disability without borders

Moderated by RAI journalist Filippo Grassia, representatives from Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, and Austria will be present:

Damir Bucic, Olympic waterpolo player and secretary of Istria Sportsmen; spokesperson for Italian Paralympic athletes Matteo Parenzan and a CIP representive; Michael Aussewinkler, President of Panathlon Club Klagenfurt, former governor of Carinthia and Minister of Health of the Austrian Republic; Damjan Lazar, President of the Slovenian Paralympic Committee.i 

BROCHURE

Panathlon International, through the President of the Commission for Culture, Research and Education, Antonio Carlos Bramante, has participated (online) in the Event related to the generation of knowledge, innovation and cooperation called "Collab Summit", which was held in the city of Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday 29 April. 

In addition to the "II Symposium on Innovation, Technology and International Cooperation", a round table was held to launch the "I Symposium on University Studies in Sport Sciences" in which Prof. Bramante participated by presenting Panathlon International as an organisation committed to ethics and fair play.

The event was also attended by Professor Wagner Gomes, newly elected President of the Panathlon Club of Rio de Janeiro.

A collaborative work on "Environmental intelligence: environment and sustainability in sport and physical activities / 1961-2025" has been presented at the event and will be launched at the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), to be held in Belém (PA) / Brazil, in November 2025.