Lamezia Terme will host the citadel of Paralympic sport and will become the national hub of reference for the whole of Southern Italy. The announcement was made by the president of the Italian Paralympic Committee (CIP), Marco Giunio De Sanctis in agreement with the Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi, and the president of the Calabria Region, Roberto Occhiuto. This is the second national center of excellence which joins the center for the Northern area, nearing completion in Pergine Valsugana in Trentino, as well as the Paralympic Preparation Center in Rome.
The center of Lamezia Terme, which already includes the Carlei stadium and the sports hall, will extend to the entire space in front of which sports fields and a guesthouse will be built. «This is a historic result for which I am deeply grateful to Minister Abodi and President Occhiuto for the extraordinary availability, foresight and constant support shown – declared the number one of Paralympic sport in Italy, De Sanctis -. We are talking about a center capable of guaranteeing sport and integration opportunities for many people with disabilities who have been waiting for a similar offer for a long time.”
The complex, which has already been designed and will soon see the start of expansion works, will cover an area of 20,000 square meters and will include, among other things, tennis courts, five-a-side football pitches, padel courts, a bar and a restaurant, as well as a guesthouse with other annexed structures located near the coast of Lamezia Terme.