We arrived on Thursday and immediately had our first conversations with the athletes and coaches. Friday and Saturday were fully dedicated to observing the training sessions on the ice.

Additionally, Nuyt celebrated his 71st birthday on Saturday and so we organized a small birthday party! The Italian Wheelchair team was so nice and tought Nuyt how to play wheelchair curling! That was an amazing experience both for him (as he learned how to play it) and for us, as we learned how to teach it.

On Sunday morning we organized a small breakfast in the hall as a thank-you before we travelled back home via Trento.

On both Friday and Saturday, the Italian wheelchair curling athletes trained at the same time as the Italian junior, women’s, and men’s national teams, creating an environment of inclusion and community. We were warmly welcomed by everyone, and throughout the weekend we learned a great deal not only about wheelchair curling itself, but also about how to structure inclusive sports in general.