Grosseto President speaks passionately about 2016 Euros

Sandrino Porru, President of FISPES, is keen to deliver an ‘extraordinary event’ to follow the hugely successful 2014 IPC Athletics Euros. 29 Aug 2014
Imagen
Martina Caironi, winces,

Martina Caironi

ⒸLuc Percival
By IPC

“We hope we will be able to deliver an extraordinary event in the lead-up to Rio.”

The President of the Organising Committee of the 2016 IPC Athletics European Championships in Grosseto, Italy, has spoken of his desire to ‘deliver an extraordinary event’ following a hugely successful 2014 event in Swansea, Great Britain.

Sandrino Porru of FISPES, who was attending Swansea 2014 to observe the organisation of the event, spoke of his big plans for the last major international competition ahead of Rio 2016.

He said: “Swansea has been a good event in terms of organisation. We have now received the baton from Great Britain for the organisation of the next European Championships.

“We are ready for the challenge in partnership with the FIDAL, the Italian Athletics Federation, which is already setting a new pathway in the athletics world.

“We will be pleased to welcome athletes and teams and in Italy in two years’ time.”

The 2016 European Championships will be held at the Carlo Zecchini Olympic Stadium between 10-16 June, a venue that has staged an IPC Athletics Grand Prix meeting for the last two years.

It has an eight-lane MONDO track and has previously staged other high profile athletics competitions including the European and World Junior Championships.

At the time of the announcement in May 2015, Porru described the awarding of the Euros to Grosseto as a ‘dream come true’. It will be the first time an event of this kind has been held in Italy.

Porru, speaking of the importance of Grosseto 2016 just three months before the next Paralympic Games, said “We hope we will be able to deliver an extraordinary event in the lead-up to Rio.”

At Swansea 2014, Italy moved one place up the medals table from Stadskanaal to 11th, courtesy of gold medals from Paralympic and world champion Martina Caironi (women’s 100m T42) and Ruud Koutiki Tsilulu (men’s 400m T20) and two throwing golds won by London 2012 champion Assunta Legnante (women’s discus F11/12 and shot put F12).

The medals haul was completed by five silver and two bronze medals.

The 2016 IPC Athletics European Championships will be held from 10-16 June in Grosseto, Italy and is set to welcome around 700 athletes from 40 countries.

The 2014 edition was held from 18-23 August in Swansea, Great Britain, and featured around 560 athletes from 37 countries.

Related Images