How nice to see a child smile because now she/he can think about challenging the world champion!!!

As we wrote, the Association IO DO UNA MANO – IDUM – (I GIVE A HAND) participated from 20 to 23 June at the Para Standing Tennis World Championships, where they showcased the sports aids they produce and where they handed over two devices to Filippo, one of the children to whom they had sent an aid a few years ago.

Photos of Filippo playing tennis with his aid can be found here.

We publish a comment by James Segre, IO DO UNA MANO.

How nice to see a child smile because now she/he can think about challenging the world champion!!!

by Jmes Segre, Io Do Una Mano

THE CONTEXT

The Para Standing World Championship was held at the Monviso Tennis Club in Grugliasco (Turin) from 20 to 23 June 2024, with over 110 athletes from all over the world, divided into 4 categories according to disability.

THE MAIN ACTORS

Filippo – 8-year-old boy with his wonderful parents Jessica and Marco (former famous tennis player!)

Alex Hunt – 30-year-old New Zealand number 1, almost 2 metres tall, very friendly and helpful

Thalita Silva Rodrigues – Brazilian number 2, who has a lightning-fast first serve and is always in a great mood

IoDoUnaMano – who has developed and printed a simple aid for athletes who, lacking part of an arm or hand, can use it to facilitate serving from above

THE PLOT

In 2021 Filippo started watching tennis thanks to the ATP Finals played in Turin and wanted to start playing tennis, a sport he then fell in love with thanks also to Alex who, being exactly like him, saw that nothing is impossible and that it would be possible for him too to play at a high level!

Alex and Thalita’s friendliness and cheerfulness did the rest (thus making his father, who in the meantime had stopped playing tennis and then resumed and acquired his instructor’s licence, very happy).

When on Sunday morning, before their final match, the two champions saw Filippo again and started laughing, joking and playing with him wearing his new aid, I realised that all the efforts made to develop the device had been fully repaid.

Filippo put the aid on in 2 minutes and learnt how to use it in 5, giving us a number of great tips on how to make the aid even more functional (thanks Filippo!).

We also took the opportunity to give Filippo an aid for cycling with dad Marco who, after fitting it, will have to resume training to keep up with the new Filippo Ganna!

CONCLUSION

Days like these give a different flavour to life, showing how important it is to see a happy and content child.

Thank you Francesco for the development of the aid, thank you Andrea for the printing, thank you Michela and Elena for the coordination and thank you to all of you who with your support allow us to continue in our wonderful activity

Days like these give us confidence in our work and stimulate us, with your support, to develop new functional aids that allow as many people as possible to undertake new activities or improve those they are already doing.

In conclusion, as a good American ….. STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT SURPRISE

Happy holidays to all