POBIC on two fronts: excellence in sports integration in Mantua and health mission in Nigeria
Organize a top-tier sporting event for integration and, at the same time, launch a life-saving health project in Africa. POBIC demonstrates that commitment to inclusion knows no boundaries or half measures.
An extraordinary event that sets a precedent
On Sunday, December 18th, the swimming pools of Mantua hosted the third edition of an event that has become a benchmark for integrated sport in the region: the Integrated Water Polo and Swimming Trophy organized by US Acli. An event that saw the participation of the region's sporting excellences – Andes H, Virgiliana Mantova, and Pallanuoto Verona – on a day that successfully combined competitiveness, inclusion, and fair play.
But it wasn't just a sporting event. The event represented a true model of how sport can break down barriers and build communities. The two water polo teams from Polisportiva Andes H competed alongside athletes from Virgiliana Mantova in an atmosphere of enthusiasm and participation that involved not only the athletes but also the numerous spectators present.
The day saw the participation of prominent figures from sport and institutions: the Presidents A and B of US Acli, the leaders of the Polisportiva Andes H with captain Andrea Barbi in defense and Elena Scartezzini and Jenny Schwanius in attack, top-level swimming coaches like Marley Bianchi. And also: Davide Norea, Diego Corradi, Alberto Cotti, and Viola Pilati of Virgiliana, in a concrete demonstration of how integration in sport is possible when there is commitment, competence, and passion.
The role of POBIC in the organization
Elena Nolli, of the POBIC Foundation, played a crucial role in coordinating the event. Alongside figures like Stefano Pilati and Umberto Nolli, Elena helped make possible an event that saw the participation of over 20 young people from Virgiliana Mantova and swimmers from Tazio di Bagnolo San Vito.
The awards recognized all the participants: Davide Sarassi, winner of the swimming races, Andrea Barbi, Stefano Pilati, Viola Pilati, Osama Bassiouni, and Claudio Zigorani. Marta Bonetti stood out as a star on the Open H team. Otto Bio of Tazio di Bagnolo San Vito took home the title in the running race.
POBIC was not present as a simple sponsor. The organization, through Giancarlo Nolli (head of international solidarity projects) and his daughter Elena (a member of the coordination team), invested energy, expertise, and resources to make this event a success.
An event that cemented the friendship between various components of Mantua and Verona sports, creating a benchmark for integration through sports that has already announced its goal to replicate with enthusiasm and discipline in the coming year.
Simultaneously, thousands of kilometers away...
And it was precisely while Mantua was celebrating this extraordinary day of integrated sport that POBIC was advancing another chapter of its mission: the international one. A few weeks before the Mantua event, foundation representatives were in Lagos, Nigeria, to initiate a collaboration destined to change the lives of hundreds of children.
The meeting with the Down Syndrome Foundation Nigeria marks the beginning of an ambitious project rooted in POBIC's consolidated expertise in Africa. Because while in Mantua integration happens through swimming lanes and the excitement of competitions, in Nigeria integration means something even more urgent: access to life-saving care.
In Nigeria, there is one case of Down syndrome for every 865 live births. Many of these children are born with congenital heart defects that require immediate surgery. The problem is dramatic: heart surgery can cost over 10 million naira, a sum absolutely inaccessible for the vast majority of Nigerian families. Without that operation, many of these children do not survive.
Nike Denis, National Administrator of the Down Syndrome Foundation Nigeria, highlighted the country's two main problems: stigmatization and non-inclusion in the healthcare support system. Many parents hide their children with Down syndrome for fear of discrimination, while the local healthcare system lacks the resources to offer the necessary care.
The POBIC experience that makes a difference
POBIC is not new to Nigeria. The foundation has been operating in the country since 2015, when it conducted its first training sessions for doctors at the Federal Medical Center in Yenagoa on cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Over the years, through the “Open Heart” projects, POBIC has facilitated surgeries for Nigerian children at leading Italian hospitals such as Gaslini in Genoa, building a network of medical expertise and international relationships that today represents a valuable asset.
The collaboration with the Down Syndrome Foundation Nigeria is the natural evolution of this decade-long commitment. POBIC brings its cardiac surgery expertise and established healthcare networks to the field, integrating them with the Nigerian foundation's deep understanding of the local context. The goal is to drastically improve access to specialized medical care for people with Down syndrome in Nigeria, with a particular focus on cardiac emergencies.
According to experts, life expectancy for people with Down syndrome in Africa is beginning to increase thanks to advances in healthcare access. But there is still a long way to go. Priorities include early diagnosis, timely treatment, inclusive education, and awareness programs that change the cultural perception of disability.
Two projects, one vision
Organizing a top-tier sporting event like the Trofeo di Mantova and launching a life-saving healthcare project in Nigeria may seem like two separate missions. In reality, they are two sides of the same coin: POBIC's total commitment to the integration and inclusion of people with disabilities.
In Mantua, POBIC works to build a culture of inclusive sport that becomes a model and inspiration for other communities. An event that is not just a party and celebration, but a construction of networks, skills, and above all, community. An investment in the future of young athletes who, together, learn that differences are richness and that sport belongs to everyone.
In Nigeria, POBIC works so that children with Down syndrome have access to life-saving care. So that integration is not just a slogan, but becomes a concrete reality: the right to be born, to grow, to be cared for. The right to exist without shame.
Both projects require expertise, dedication, and vision. Both demonstrate that POBIC makes no geographical distinctions when it comes to defending the rights and dignity of people with disabilities. From the swimming pools of Mantua to the operating rooms of Lagos, the message is the same: inclusion is a right, not a privilege.
A commitment that continues
While the Mantuan and Veronese territory is already looking ahead to the next edition of the Trophy, with the enthusiasm and discipline that characterized this extraordinary sporting day, POBIC continues to work on multiple fronts. In Italy, consolidating events and initiatives that make our land an example of excellence in sports integration. In Africa, carrying forward health projects that save lives and change destinies.
For POBIC, integration is never a matter of choosing between local and global, between sports and healthcare, between celebration and action. It's all of these together, simultaneously. With the same passion, the same skill, the same unwavering commitment.
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