In the Friuli Venezia Giulia stand, near the BIT (International Tourism Exchange in Milan) exhibit, Giulia Pignolo and Chiara Caneiro will give a speech on disability sports. Saturday 18th Chiara Caneiro – gold medal for shooting in Beijing – will be speaking, while Sunday 19th at 11am it will be Giulia Pignolo’s turn.

The project of a new wheelchair-accessible nautical pole in Trieste will also be presented during the convention – which, among others, will see the participation of the Easy Action president Enrico Boaretto, the disabled yachtsman Andrea Stella and the Stelle Olimpiche team president Giulia Pignolo.

Moreover, in the Friulian stand, the journalist Berti Russi and the visually impaired yacthsman Egidio Carantini will present the project “Io i tuoi occhi, tu l’anima mia” (I’m your eyes, you’re my soul) which will visit 36 ports, hosting 34 meetings with the media and the public.

The Stelle Olimpiche project has always been equally shared by athletes with and without disabilities – Giulia Pignolo stated – to us all athletes are equal and all people have their own story to tell and I know that the athletes involved in this project are all exceptional women. Just think of Paola Protopapa, now at her third participation in the Games: after winning gold for rowing at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics, she took part in Vancouver 2012 for Nordic skiing, in view of London 2012 Paola will try again to sail in the Sonar category. 2011 has been the year of Monique Van Der Vost joining the team, Paralympics cyclist – now miraculously able-bodied that I would call a true force of nature for her incredible story and for her hand bike achievements. Thanks to what we went through with Monique, Paola and others made us understand how the true strength of a disabled athlete can be her very condition”.