Karol Darmoros
One celebration of football
Mariani proposes that during the next World Cup, championships for players with physical and intellectual disabilities, as well as the Homeless World Cup – a tournament for people experiencing homelessness – should take place concurrently. He recalls that the Pope encourages the participants of the Homeless World Cup in the letter “Life in Abundance” (La vita in abbondanza), dedicated to the value of sport.
A similar solution – in his view – could be applied to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. “Sport is one and it is for everyone,” he emphasizes. He also asks why events described as equal continue to be held separately, which may perpetuate the division into “first- and second-category” sports.
The right to participate
The former footballer notes that holding these tournaments in parallel could have immense social power. “It is not about ‘inclusion’, because then there must be someone who includes a previously excluded person into an already existing sports or social environment. Rather, it is about guaranteeing everyone the right to participate,” he writes.
“How great a social impact would it be to see forwards with one leg and two crutches, midfielders with autism, or defenders with Down syndrome on the pitch?” Mariani asks.
The World Cup of one’s own life
Mariani played at the Amputee Football World Cup in Mexico in 2014. He was born with one leg, but – as he emphasizes – he never gave up his childhood dream of playing football.
“I prefer to speak not of ‘disability’, but of ‘pro-ability’ [pro-sprawność],” he explains, referring to a term he coined.
Sport that transforms
According to Mariani, holding all these tournaments in parallel would be “the most revolutionary social act that sport can accomplish.”
“Sport never pronounces a final verdict: you fall and get back up stronger, and when you lose, you find the drive and motivation to win next time. This is not just a successful metaphor. This is life,” he concludes.
