Omar attends Fondazione Irpea sports activities supported by Fondazione Milan through the Sport For All program.

Omar feels young, healthy and full of energy. He desires to try different experiences; in fact, with each new proposal, he never backs down. He is a generous, helpful person and often supports the operators in the domestic activities of the community (accommodation in which he lives with eight other disabled people).

Omar loves being with people, talking to people, going out, attending events, dancing, having fun. When he was offered to join the rugby team, without hesitation he said yes and shortly afterwards started sharing his joy with everyone he met.

This news generated great enthusiasm: Omar promptly made a list of clothing items useful for training, and after a week he went with his educator to buy a thermal shirt and thermal pants. During training, he always proudly wears the Milan jersey, his favorite team since he was a child. For a die-hard fan like him, knowing that the sports project is supported by Fondazione Milan is a source of great pride.

“I’m going to play matches in the rugby field!” he tells everyone with great enthusiasm as he prepares to enter another dimension, because when he plays rugby, he feels like a strong man and, in those moments, he is finally able to put the thoughts that often distress him to rest. That’s when, at the end of each training session, he approaches the coach to ask for feedback on his performance and advice on how he can improve.

When he says “I like it when the coach tells me ‘You’re one of us, Omar!'” there emerges a need to feel like an integral part of a group, within which he can make a contribution, share the results achieved through personal and team efforts, and feel competent and appreciated.

All this is of great value to Omar, having never played a sport in which he could achieve personal and team goals and in which he could deal with all the emotions, positive and negative, that are part of the game.

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