Written by Diana Pintus
Translated by Martina Ferlisi
“Disable” is who cannot change his life, accepting the impositions of other people or of society where he lives, without having the awareness to be boss of his destiny.
“Crazy”is who doesn’t try to be happy with what he has.
“Blind” is who doesn’t see his neighbour dying for the cold, the hunger, the misery, and has eyes only for his miserable troubles and his little pain.
“Deaf” is who has no time to listen to the outburst of a friend, or the appeal of a brother. In fact, he is always in a hurry due to the work and the desire to take home money at the end of the month.
“Mute” is who can not talk about his emotions and hides behind the mask of hypocrisy.
“Paralytic” is who can not go in the direction of those who need his help.
“Diabetic” is who can not be sweet.
“Nano” is who is not able to let love grow (…)
Disabilità – Mario Quintana
Experiencing the Paralympics is to live in a world apart so that everything else, when it comes, it comes far, muffled, as if it was unreal.
Therefore, when, yesterday night, a friend gave me a news, telling me: “my taxi had to change its way”, I did not even give weight to it.
The news comes to me again this morning, this time like a cold shower, by the means that transmits all the news, since Brazil doesn’t trust mass media anymore: by social network. There was a shooting in Rio Comprido, North area, where two gangs of traffickers were fighting for the control of the Morro Turano, many dead, wounded passers-by, police firing. A taxi driver recorded an audio of the shooting, which we do not publish because we are not in a war movie. However, it is a war. A war of a city that, even when apparently it is calm, boils over, is besieged, besieges, kills. A city with two extremes, one where you smile and celebrate, where there is inclusion, you race, you win; the other where there is a war. Without solution.
The only solution that we find, the only solution we can find to react to this cold shower is to cover us. Surrounding ourselves with beauty, in an environment that today is more than ever welcoming. So we hold on to this world made before of people than athletes. We desperately look for friendly faces in the crowd.
Like that of Alberto Andrea Pellegrini, who can not hide a little disappointment. “I would like to end my career with a semi-final” – tells us. 46 years, in his fifth Olympics with fencing, sabre fencer of long experience and former basketball player, Andrea was waiting for this competition perhaps more than any others. He had gained it then lost, excluded at the last minute for a change of the eligibility criteria by IWAS and found it again, readmitted thanks to the decision to keep out Russia from the Rio Paralympics for State doping
Determined to quit after Rio “yes, I will not compete anymore, at least not at these levels,” Andrea went on fencing platform with an injured arm and he was beaten by the very tall Chinese Tian, who later win the bronze medal, “he is tall, it is too tall, and so when he hits me I cannot reply. Then today he was fine and I was not, the point is that too “. He, when he is fencing, looks for his fans in the bleachers, beautiful and noisy.
At the quarterfinal, also Lucas Araujo came out from the team competition, Brazilian player of bocce game BC2 category. Athlete with cerebral paralysis, Lucas is 22 years and this is his first Paralympics. He always says: “My Paralympics is not this but it will be Tokyo 2020”, but nevertheless he is waiting for the individual competition with trepidation. “The day before yesterday and yesterday were very beautiful days. At the end, in the team competition we went out for one point in the quarterfinals against Portugal, it ends 6 to 5 “.
Athlete of the ANDEF Niteroi, Lucas and his family have always been, for us, the most sparkling example of how sport can cover every aspect of a person and of those around him. It is sufficient just to mention his sport to make smile Lucas. This is not his Paralympics but follow us tomorrow we expect great things.
Friendly faces, hugs, open doors. This was, this we wanted to be, the day of today. However, it was casually and magically a day of raids, in which as if we had a magic wand, we really arrived at everyplace. It was a day in which there were costumes, parallel passages, and wink. The question of the day was always: “But can I pass, are you sure?” And the answer was “yes, sure go.” No matter the destination. Surrounding ourselves. We succeeded and we passed untouched. Because, as Mario Quintana, the poet of simple things, always says “Friendship is a love that never dies.”
Thanks to Andrea, to Idenilza and Forçaaaa Lucasss!