Wheelchair hockey returns to Lignano

After a two-year hiatus, the spotlight is on the highlight of the Italian Paralympic Federation’s Powerchair Sport season: the final stages of the national championships. Double date because for the first time in history, the Powerchair Hockey Playoffs will follow the Powerchair Football matches (in Jesolo May 12-15) that will give the first Scudetto a powerhouse in history.

Back to the Finals – Back to the Finals is the theme of this edition that deliberately recalls the famous film “Back to the Future” by Robert Zemeckis, and epitomizes the nostalgia of the two years spent in the playoff with great enthusiasm and high expectations from the audience. scheduled races.

The final stages are the most awaited moment of the season by everyone: the athletes, the coaches, the fans, the volunteers, the referees and the fans. Because it represents on the one hand the possible culmination of an athlete’s dream, and on the other hand an opportunity to share, have fun and compare.

To open the dances will be Powerchair Hockey, at Bella Italia Efa Village from May 5-8 there will be eight teams to return to the Hall of Dreams, where our national team reached the top of the world in 2018 and where the most important competitions in Italian and world Powerchair Hockey history.

The four A1 seeded teams that will fight for the Italian champions title are: IOP Madracs Udine, Sharks Monza A, Thunder Roma and Blue Devils Genova.

The Neroverdi Friulians arrive in Lignano having defeated the Italian champions in the group, snatching the qualification from the Black Lions, and I certainly make no secret of ambition to reach the top of the podium. The battleship Brianza of the Sharks returns to Lignano to resume the speech he left on that parquet in the final he lost in 2019, convinced they can return the three colors to Brianza that were missing from the 1999/2000 season.

Thunder Roma comes to Lignano with two wonderful absentees, the Lazzari twins who have shaped this team since its birth, and in the DNA of Yellow and Blue there is certainly their determination and desire not to give up which will make life difficult for all opponents. Perhaps the surprise of the season, the Genoa Devils, a team that has managed to combine its experience with the enthusiasm of many young people full of passion for Powerchair hockey.

The Avengers of Padova, Sharks of Monza B, Dolphin of Ancona and Magic Torino are the teams that, on the other hand, will compete to reach the first division of the 2022/2023 Championship. If the Red and White Sharks of Brianza are the first to qualify for the playoffs, it’s a comeback for the other teams. The Avengers of Padua is back in a hurry to boost the playoffs you’ve never missed since their debut. Dolphins Ancona and Magic Torino are two historic teams of the Powerchair Hockey movement that are definitely aiming to return to the top notch after their A2 series experience.

“All matches will be exciting – comments from Fipps president Andrea Piccillo – much will depend on the results of Thursday night’s draw that will decide the semi-final pairings for both the A1 and A2 series. All the teams that have qualified have what it takes to achieve their sporting goals, and for that reason, I am convinced that they will On some great final stages. For me it will be doubly exciting because they will also be the first President. I can’t wait to find myself immersed in the feelings that only these competitions can give us, and I am delighted to finally be able to embrace and find so many Powerchair Hockey champions. personally again.”

Races will be streamed on YouTube channel FIPPS