We all know that one hour walk, or run, or any type of sport is healthier than an hour spent watching TV. But practicing sport is not only healthy for our body: exercising has in fact many benefits on our mental and social wellness. Through the concept of playing and competing, sport helps us reaching our feelings and pushes, becoming a vehicle to socialize and to connect with other people.
This especially happens for group activities: the rules and the continuous challenging help establishing contact with the others and learning to stay together respecting each other. A concept that has a lot more value for people with disabilities that, often, live their handicap as a real social and cultural barrier. From this principle, in 2005, was established Wheelchair Sport Firenze, a Tuscan association, supported by CONI-CIP and FIPIC (Italian Federation for Wheelchair Basketball), that has the goal to support practicing sport, and in particular basketball, among the people on wheelchair.
The association that, thanks to its initiatives, reached 5000 people all around the area of Florence, is involved in many projects, both inside and outside school, first of all “Volpi Rosse Menarini”: a young basketball team that connects basket lovers on wheelchair, helping them to find a place to challenge themselves, to win and to find new friends. Moreover, since 2013, “Volpi Rosse Menarini” has also an adult basketball team in the Serie B category.
“Playing together is just one of the many steps for a journey that our association is doing to reach a major social integration for disabled people and to break the cultural barriers. In facts, Wheelchair Sports Firenze has been involved into promoting a balanced and healthy diet, with the goal of reducing obesity and favoring the wellness of disabled young adults. A campaign that we are supporting thanks to the contribution of our sponsors, like Probios” explains the President, Ivano Nuti.
Probios, leader company in Tuscany for organic food for vegetarian and intolerant diets has a deep relationship with its territory, and has always believed that food has a crucial impact into guaranteeing the health of our whole organism. In particular, for sports, where the energy request is finalized to the improvement of the performance, a correct and balanced diet is a great help and also a fundamental part of the athletic preparation. For these reasons, the company decided to support some of the projects that Wheelchair Sport Firenze promotes, donating some of its products, with the goal to promote the benefits of a correct diet, also among people with disabilities.
