Bologna, 25 June. (askanews) – The third edition of the successful Padel tournament signed “Illumia” took place on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd. The project, born from the enthusiasm of former midfielder Tomas Locatelli, and from the sporting passion shared with Marco Bernardi, President of Illumia, Mario Trebbi, founding member of the Country Club and Andrea Lanzoni, CEO of 2comeventi, put on a great show, with 32 former Serie A footballers grappling with the sport that is conquering millions of fans. Only one rule for participating: having made at least one appearance in the top flight of the national championships for clubs in Italy, Spain, England, Germany and France. Many former Top Players battled it out, including Roberto Mancini, Christian Vieri, Luca Toni, Francesco Totti, Samir Handanovic. and Paolo di Canio. Great result for Illumia. Marco Bernardi, President of Illumia, spoke to us:
“More than a tournament, for us it is a party that has continued for three years with so much attention to detail and this is the reason why so many champions really enjoy coming. This attention serves to create a beautiful event, the search for beauty is part of every man’s attention. There is no beauty without utility, and when we thought about this event, we immediately thought that it could be of help to someone who needed it more than us.”
Not a tournament for men only: with the 2024 edition the women’s tournament restarted, thanks to the presence of some well-known faces from entertainment and sport: the grand final, which preceded the men’s final match, saw the success of the Francesca Piccinini couple and Linda Raff
We spoke with Francesca Piccinini, a former volleyball player: “Very happy because it’s the first time I’ve won a padel tournament, I’m super happy and I was very happy to play with Linda because we got along very well both on and off the pitch.”
Linda Raff, architect, then spoke: “I’m very happy to have played with Francesca, it was an honor she helped me catch all the balls on the left so it was very easy to win with her.”
In the late afternoon the final men’s match was played which showed tactical ability, intensity and great technique: dunks, returns and dropped balls. The couple Jimmy Maini and Diego Perotti could do nothing, who despite an excellent performance had to give way to the winners of the day: Luca Toni and Luca Ceccarelli.
Former footballer Luca Toni then spoke: “It went great, it’s already the second time we’ve won, it’s always harder but when you win it’s always beautiful.”
Luca Ceccarelli also spoke: “It was a battle, a beautiful event organized really well. We are very happy.”
They were two days with an explosive mix: fun, healthy competitive spirit and friendship. The Illumia project is producing something important for the territory and beyond, with strong social, sporting and relational contents.
