Italian
The Italian national team was supposed to attend an important tournament in Glasgow. Despite being notified in advance, EasyJet denies boarding for wheelchairs
FIUMICINO – Year of Our Lord 2026. Airport of Rome Fiumicino. The Italian National Powerchair Football team of FIPPS (Italian Paralympic Powerchair Sport Federation) is ready to board the 11:55 flight to Glasgow where they were set to compete in a crucial international tournament in preparation for the upcoming World Championships in Argentina.
The FIPPS had already requested and obtained in advance from the airline EasyJet the authorization to transport 6 athletes with disabilities, along with both the wheelchairs for daily mobility and the 6 special game wheelchairs. And then the unthinkable happens: they are denied boarding.
The reaction of the CIP
From here comes the strong stance of the Italian Paralympic Committee (CIP) which emphasizes how the situation represents “a very serious matter, harmful to the personal dignity of our athletes and the primary values of sport in general and Paralympic sport in particular.“
The CIP continues: “Despite the initial confirmation and a subsequent communication via PEC sent by the Federation before departure to avoid any logistical issues – a communication that received no response at all – the team found itself facing an ideological and organizational wall at the boarding gate.
Following a confirmed flight at 11:55, at 10:15 the airline communicated the impossibility of boarding the entire delegation, citing that the aircraft (an Airbus A320) could only transport a maximum of 5 wheelchairs. The “surreal” solution proposed by EasyJet – splitting the team, leaving one athlete behind and sending the game wheelchairs on another flight destined not for Glasgow but for Edinburgh – is an offense to sporting merit, competitive preparation, and the respect owed to a National team representing Italy in the world.
The President of the Italian Paralympic Committee, Marco Giunio De Sanctis, declares: “What happened today at Fiumicino airport is an unacceptable shame that takes us back decades in terms of human and social rights. Just last night I was with the guys from the National Team: they were excited about this trip, full of passion and determination, and I can only imagine the profound and painful disappointment they are experiencing right now. Such episodes demonstrate, once again, how equal dignity is unfortunately still only formal and not yet substantial.
We are not talking about a simple travel disruption or baggage delay: denying boarding to athletes and the aids they rely on to live and compete means denying their very autonomy and identity. Wheelchairs for a Paralympic athlete are not an “extra” or cumbersome luggage, but an extension of their body.
I find it outrageous that in 2026 an airline like EasyJet can first reassure a Federation and then abandon a National team at the airport, proposing absurd solutions and even suggesting not to reimburse the damage suffered. The CIP will make its voice heard strongly in all competent venues. We will stand by the President of FIPPS and the Federation both in the legal action for compensation for damages and in demanding from the authorities and transport carriers binding rules and exemplary sanctions for those who trample on the rights of people with disabilities. My personal support goes to our athletes and staff: Italy’s Paralympic sports community will never tolerate such discrimination again.
The CIP statement goes on to emphasize its effects:
“The episode today causes a triple, serious damage: human, due to the sacrifices made by athletes coming from all over Italy who are forced to give up the dream of wearing the blue jersey in Scotland; sporting, as it compromises the preparation for the upcoming World Cup; and economic, burdening the federal budgets by over 20,000 euros in lost tickets, accommodations, and logistics.
The Italian Paralympic Committee reiterates that the right to mobility is not a privilege or a concession, but a fundamental constitutional and civil right. The CIP hopes for an immediate intervention from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and ENAC to ascertain the direct responsibilities of EasyJet and to finally establish truly accessible and inclusive air transport standards.“
Photo Credits: Comitatoparalimpico.it
