Cycling from Italy to the European Parliament in support of inclusive sport: the “Gruppo della Pandita’s” feat

Brussels – From Reggio Emilia to Brussels… by bike! Three cyclists today (9 September), who call themselves “the Pandita group” in honour of a journey they made in an old 1990s Panda, arrived at the European Parliament to support All Inclusive Sport: a project which, coordinated by the Volunteering Service Centre (CSV Emilia) in the provinces of Piacenza, Parma, and Reggio Emilia, for the past ten years, has enabled children and young people with disabilities to train alongside their peers and within the same local sports clubs. 

In Brussels, the group was welcomed by the Emilia-Romagna Region’s Delegation to the European Union, as well as by four Italian MEPs. Among them were S&D MEPs Annalisa Corrado, Alessandra Moretti, and Stefano Bonaccini, and Green Party MEP Cristina Guarda. Corrado said she was “delighted” to welcome the cyclists and to “bear witness to their commitment to true inclusion and inclusive sport.” She stated that the initiative helps “the families of young people with disabilities to build a sense of community,” as well as to “gain access to sports facilities and disciplines.” Reggio Emilia “is renowned for its educational provision and its ecosystem of inclusive education,” and for this reason “we proudly support this initiative in every way,” she concluded. Guarda called for support for “the fundraising campaign to reach the €18,000 needed to include a further twenty young people in the project”—following the involvement of around 200 young people last year. She also emphasised that today “the commitment lies not only in fundraising, but also in the responsibility to vote appropriately in this chamber to secure a social fund and the necessary resources so that the Regions can implement these projects without placing a burden on the voluntary sector and individuals.” 

“What you’ve seen today is an example of one of the ecosystems we’re developing,” commented the president of CSV Emilia, Lucia Piacentini. The aim is to enable “young people, including those with disabilities, to choose the sport they prefer and to become part of a society closest to home,” she added. To do this, “we need to build a village, made up of institutions, volunteering, and citizens,” he emphasised. The project’s creator, Andrea Bonini, explained that when he discovered All Inclusive Sport, “he simply had to get involved” and decided to immediately call on his friends and “the team here today,” who “immediately responded” to his request. For Bonini, this is “truly unique” because “all the money they gave us went towards the project, so it was very satisfying for me.”

The Pandita team is a group of friends from Reggio Emilia who, in 2023, organised a trip in an old 1990s Panda from Reggio Emilia to North Cape in Norway. That trip helped them raise awareness and funds for hospitals in the region. Bonini took Lambrusco and erbazzone with him – products described as”ambassadors of the Reggio Emilia area”, which were distributed in the various European countries they passed through. This time, however, they brought a 38-kg wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano to Brussels: transported on a small trolley pulled by bicycles and provided by the Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese Consortium, the initiative’s sponsor.