Alice Bellandi‘s Golden Tour began and departed from Catania. A tour organized by Fijlkam (Italian Judo Wrestling Karate Martial Arts Federation) to celebrate the success of the Olympic champion and to inspire the young generations of judokas from all over Italy. Catania was the first of 7 stages (Catania, Turin, Rome, Bologna, Montecchio, Naples, Brescia) which will take the young champion of Paris 2024 around Italy, in an event which will involve around 3700 judokas and around 12,000 families.
A one-of-a-kind event. Alice Bellandi arrived in Catania on Saturday evening in the company of National Councilor Andrea Regis and was welcomed by representatives of the Judo Fijlkam Sicilia Committee, at PalaCatania in Corso Indipendenza. On the morning of Sunday 10 November, Alice was welcomed onto the large Catania tatami by more than 500 athletes (aged 6 and up). The older judokas first, and then the smaller ones, were able to train with her, trying out her very special taiotoshi together. Together with Alice, on the Catania tatami, there was also Savita Russo, the young Sicilian champion, also part of the Italian Olympic team in Paris. After training there was then time to simply be together and get to know each other. Alice devoted a lot of time to photos and autographs with affection and gratitude: she signed hundreds of postcards and someone asked for a special autograph on their belt, as a good omen for future successes.
“I thank everyone for the warmth and for the numerous participations – Alice Bellandi said in an Instagram post – I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about an episode that happened yesterday. At the moment of the photographs for the company, all the members had prepared themselves but there was a little girl with a lowered gaze who was ashamed to come closer. I went up to her, asked her name and hugged her. She replied in a shy voice ‘it’s the best day of my life’. From there, she started smiling and never stopped… What I felt seeing that little girl happy with a simple gesture was priceless.” The first stage of the Golden Tour was a beautiful demonstration of healthy sport, a beautiful experience that gave a lot of energy and motivation to children and teenagers.
