A total of 11 judoka have been named to the Italian team who will compete at their home International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) Judo European Championships in Genova from 26-28 July.

The delegates will join judoka from 17 other countries who will compete at the RDS Stadium for regional titles.

Headlining the hosts’ squad is Carolina Costa in the women’s over 70kg.

Costa is one of the best judoka in the world right now, having picked up bronze at the 2018 IBSA Judo World Championships in Odivelas, Portugal, in November. The athlete continued her medal-winning ways at the Grand Prix in Baku, Azerbaijan, in May with gold and at the International Qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics in Fort Wayne, USA, earlier this month with another bronze.

Genoese fans will closely follow the journey of local athlete Asia Giordano in the women’s up to 48kg. Dong Dong Camanni will be the youngest on the team, making his international debut in the men’s up to 66kg at the age of 16.

Alongside the team announcement more information was revealed about the competition.

The Teatro Modena, a theatre in Genoa Sampierdarena, will host the Opening Ceremony on 24 July directed by Giorgio Gallione.

The Italian Sports Federation for the Blind and Visually Impaired, led by President Sandro Di Girolamo, have also enlisted local schools to provide volunteers for the event and a number of local and national partners are involved.

The Sports Ministry, the Liguria Region and the Municipality of Genoa, Liguria police, the Genoa Chamber of Commerce, the Aquarium of Genoa, the National Theatre of Genoa, BMW Italia and Banca Generali have all provided various services and support.

Full Italian team:

Valerio Romano Teodori
Michela Peli
Carolina Costa
Federico Giuseppe Dura
Simone Cannizzaro
Matilde Lauria
Dong Dong Camanni
Michele Milli
Valerio Febbo Arancio
Asia Giordano
Fabio Serafini

The 2019 IBSA Judo European Championships are the first regional competition to take place in 2019-2020. Asian and Oceania Championships in Atyrau, Kazakhstan, follow from 6-8 September. The Americas Championships will be staged in Montreal, Canada, on 12 January.

In addition, judoka will line-up for the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games in Peru and several Grand Prix events. All offer world ranking points which will determine qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.