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Sport as a tool for inclusion, autonomy and participation. On Tuesday 10 June, at 6.30 pm, at the “Giuseppe Bilotti” Sports Center in Rende, in via Parigi 18, the first B1 5-a-side football field for the blind in Calabria will be inaugurated, a structure intended to represent a point of reference for the development of paralympic sport and for the promotion of equal opportunities in the regional territory.
The initiative was born as part of the project “A Goal for Inclusion: Football Without Barriers, in Rende”, promoted by the Rotary District 2102, led by governor Dino De Marco, on the proposal of the DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) Commission chaired by Deborah Granata, provincial delegate of the Italian Paralympic Committee for the province of Cosenza.
The project and role of the Olympia sports club
The project was carried out thanks to the contribution of the Rotary Clubs of Rende, Presila Cosenza Est, Cosenza Nord, Mendicino Serre Cosentine, Paola Medio Tirreno Cosentino, E-Club Al Mantiàh Calabria, Telesio, Cosenza Sette Colli, Rogliano Valle del Savuto and Belvedere Alto Tirreno Cosentino, who supported an initiative capable of combining sport, social inclusion and community growth.
The management of the facility will be entrusted to Polisportiva Olympia, a sports organization of the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired which has been operating since 2019 in the field of sport for people with visual impairments, promoting inclusive activities aimed at the blind and visually impaired.
Over the years, the Olympia Sports Center has become a regional point of reference for adapted sports, developing disciplines such as Torball, Goalball, Showdown and Chess for the blind, activities that promote personal autonomy, orientation, socialization and active participation in community life.
The company’s commitment has also led to significant results on a competitive level. In 2023 the team reached the top national series, while in 2025 over ten new blind and visually impaired athletes were introduced to the Showdown practice, further expanding the sporting offering.
A new opportunity for blind football
The new facility also sees the launch of the B1 5-a-side football discipline, known internationally as blind football, a Paralympic sport reserved for blind athletes and promoted in Italy by the Italian Paralympic Sports Federation for the visually impaired and blind.
B1 5-a-side football is played using a sound ball which allows players to identify the position of the ball through sound. Athletic athletes wear dark masks to ensure uniformity in playing conditions, while spatial orientation, listening skills, communication and trust between teammates represent fundamental elements of the competition.
The opening of the first Calabrian field dedicated to this discipline aims to encourage the birth of new teams, promote sports training courses and offer a point of reference to those who wish to approach blind football.
The initiative is part of the broader path promoted by the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired, an association committed to protecting the rights of blind and visually impaired people and promoting autonomy and social inclusion.
Present at the inaugural ceremony will be the UICI Calabria regional president Pietro Testa, the UICI Cosenza provincial president Francesco Motta, representatives of local institutions, the associative and sporting world and the presidents of the Rotary Clubs who supported the project.
The Olympia Sports Club, coordinated by Giovanni Bilotta and led on the pitch by captain Kevin Garofalo, will be the sporting entity of reference for the development of the new discipline and for the enhancement of the facility.
The inauguration of the first B1 5-a-side football pitch in Calabria represents a milestone that looks to the future, creating a space in which sport, inclusion and solidarity meet to generate concrete opportunities for personal and social growth.