Section: "Sport as public health"

Institutional winner: Italian Federation of Paralympic and Experimental Sports (Fispes),

in the person of the president Sandrino Porru 

Individual winners: The Paralympic athletes Ambra Sabatini, Martina Caironi, and Monica Contrafatto

The Res Publica Award recognizes that sport is health and dignity, the ideal expression of being fueled by competitive effort. Starting from this premise, the jury honors those who, in addition to excelling in psycho-physical will, assume a sense of responsibility in civic life. 

For over a decade, FISPES has been assisting young people with disabilities to achieve superior competitive ability. Promoter of participation in the Paralympic competitions, FISPES demonstrates that no limit is insurmountable, and that sport can change society. The jury particularly appreciates the human and professional commitment of President Sandrino Porru who, in his fourth mandate, inspires hope in parathletes and trust in collaborators.

The jury honors the athletes Ambra Sabatini, Martina Caironi and Monica Contrafatto for their victorious performance at the Tokyo Paralympics (2021). Thanks to the unique combination of will and performance, the athletes show how sport becomes an essential element to get the best out of themselves, promoting participation and social inclusion. 

Sport is a harmonious representation of human reality – body, mind and spirit tempered by strength and discipline. The Jury interprets the institutional effort by FISPES and the individual competitive spirit of the three athletes as the concrete realization of the res publica.