Today, December 3rd, is International Disability Day. And padel confirms itself as the sport of inclusion. Next Sunday, December 10th, starting at 1.30 p.m., on the day of the Milano Premier Padel P1 finals, an exhibition event will take place at the Allianz Cloud, with many ‘football legends’ – including Demetrio Albertini and Esteban Cambiasso – and Alessandro Ossola, a Paralympic athlete who promotes inclusive padel.
Ossola, born in Turin and participated in the Paralympics in Tokyo in 2021 by running the 100 metres, discovered padel and fell in love with it. Love at first sight: “Before the accident, in 2015, I played futsal. I continued to play sport, but I missed the locker room atmosphere, the playful aspect, the game. I tried padel and I immediately realised that it is the most inclusive sport in the world. The Inclusive Padel Tour had six pairs when it started: now there are 30, we went around Europe and the world, even involving sports and entertainment personalities”.
But what is it that makes padel so inclusive? “There are various aspects – Ossola replies -. First of all, it is easy to learn for beginners, while, as far as people with disabilities are concerned, the risk of injuries is reduced, as movement within the court is limited. The glass is a further help and the possibility of bouncing the ball once more means that able-bodied and disabled athletes can play on the same court”.
Eight years ago, Alessandro’s life changed, but he did not lose heart: “On a mental level, the change was even greater because I had to start all over again from the beginning – says in the biography on his website. I had to learn how to walk again, how to move, my balance and the perception of my body had changed. I went through very hard, difficult moments. However, I didn’t want the situations that life had put in front of me to totally change the positive, sunny guy I had always been. That is why I started to react and smiled again. Sport was a strong boost for me: I started with golf and then moved on to snowboarding and athletics, which gave me great satisfaction”.
And now padel: “I would like to thank Premier Padel, the International Padel Federation and its president Luigi Carraro for giving us the opportunity to play at the Allianz Cloud – Ossola said -. This is incredible for us and means giving light and visibility to the whole movement”. On court, with Ossola and the ‘legends’ of football, also Marcos Cambronero and Iñaki Rampérez, wheelchair padel champions.