Italy’s Florence hosts first-ever Down syndrome “Olympics”July 23, 2016 - 10:51 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Italian city of Florence hosted the first world competition for athletes with Down's Syndrome, and Nicole Orlando and Nicolas Virapin made it to the victory podium in the Tuscan city -- a first step, they hope, on the path to Olympic glory, AFP reports. Orlando, a runner from Italy who has become the face of the "Trisome Games," scooped up the silver for a 400-metres relay, sending her flag-waving delegation leaping into each others arms with joy as the national anthem rang out. Almost 1,000 contenders from 36 countries spent the week here fighting for gold in a series of categories from athletics to fusbol, judo, rhythmic gymnastics, swimming, synchronised swimming, tennis and table tennis. The athletes taking part are dubbed T21s, named after the most common form of Down's Syndrome, trisomy 21, where sufferers have an extra copy of chromosome 21. "The Trisome Games are a unique opportunity to distinguish the T21 and bring them into the light", Marc Truffaut, head of the French Adaptive Sports Federation (FFSA), told AFP. The Trisome Games were created by Marco Borzacchini, president of the FISDIR (the Italian Federation of Sports for Intellectually and Relationally Disabled), who believes they will help challenge stereotypes surrounding T21 athletes. "The games are the culmination of a long process which began more than 10 years ago to enable people with Down's Syndrome to experience sport as something other than mere entertainment," he said, according to AFP. "It was generally thought they could only play around or enjoy themselves with sports, but actually they are capable of high quality sporting performances just like conventional athletes." With the Olympic Games opening in a few weeks time in Brazil, organisers here are abuzz with plans to try to reintroduce Down's Syndrome athletes to the world's most prestigious competition. Photo. AFP/Claudio Giovannini Related links: Top stories Armenian gymnast, Olympic bronze medalist Artur Davtyan has reached the finals of the World Cup. Gor Manvelyan has denied reports alleging that he has expressed a desire to one day play for the French national team. Roma midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is not considering FC Spartak Moscow as his next haven, according to fresh reports. 10 Armenian lifters will compete in the 2021 World Championships scheduled to be held from 7 to 17 December in Tashkent. Partner news | Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Azerbaijan must respect human rights, Scholz tells Aliyev German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for greater respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. |