Oney Tapia

Started: He began playing baseball and rugby at a young age in Cuba. He took up Para athletics in 2013 in Bergamo, Italy. (NPC, 15 Oct 2015; bergamo.corriere.it, 31 May 2014) Reason: Sport helped him to find a balance in everyday life following the loss of his vision. He originally played torball and goalball, but moved on to athletics because it was the sport he was most passionate about. (NPC, 15 Oct 2015) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (tusciaweb.eu, 23 May 2024; fidal.it, 19 Jan 2024) Additional Info: FROM CUBA TO ITALY Born in Havana, he was a professional baseball player in Cuba prior to losing his sight. He first went to Italy in 2002 to play as a pitcher, and in 2003 he was granted Italian citizenship. Following his accident in 2011 he began playing goalball and torball for Omero Bergamo, winning an Italian championship and receiving a call-up to the Italian national team. In October 2013 he took up the discus. "I tried it just by chance and immediately broke the Italian record." (avvenire.it, 28 Dec 2018; Comitato Italiano Paralimpico YouTube channel, 17 Mar 2016; abilitychannel.it, 01 Mar 2016; bergamo.corriere.it, 31 May 2014; bergamo.netweek.it, 27 Sep 2013) CHILDHOOD He grew up in a disadvantaged part of Havana, Cuba. "My childhood in Havana was not easy. I grew up in a neighbourhood where you had to deal with the underworld and practising sports was necessary to defend yourself, so I started with boxing. I come from a large family and from an early age we had to work. But I can only say thanks to my parents, because in that difficult context they managed to bring us up as honest people without ever giving in to violence. We were among the few in that neighbourhood who did not see prison bars." (avvenire.it, 28 Dec 2018) PARALYMPIC AMBASSADOR He has served as an ambassador for the Italian Paralympic Committee [CIP], travelling around Italy to share his experiences. "Being able to share my experience with people is a beautiful thing, because when you have an accident you can either put yourself down, or turn it into an opportunity for yourself and become a stimulus for others. In this role I share the experience of the world of Paralympic sport, trying to educate people. Anyone can become impaired at any time, can have an accident that changes their life and the lives of those around them. At that juncture we must be prepared, we must anticipate and face what life has in store for us with awareness." (comitatoparalimpico.it, 12 Mar 2021) OTHER ACTIVITIES In 2017 he won the Italian version of the competition television show 'Dancing with the Stars'. "I did not know it was so hard. The difficulty was more mental than physical. Learning all these routines [and] I needed to continue with my training. But it helped me because I had a goal. I was there to reach the end. The important thing is not to participate but to win. It was a great opportunity to tell everyone that people with impairments never give up and to make the Paralympic world better known." (iodonna.it, 17 Mar 2018; Tv2000it YouTube channel, 17 Dec 2017) BOOK In 2018 his autobiography was released. The book is titled 'Piu Forte del Buio' [Stronger than Darkness]. (iodonna.it, 17 Mar 2018)