26/07/2026
Seeing the Italian National Powerchair Football Team prevented from travelling to Scotland is heartbreaking.
As a powerchair football club, we know just how much preparation goes into travelling for competitions. Behind every trip are athletes, families, coaches, volunteers and supporters who spend months planning, fundraising and preparing.
For many wheelchair users, air travel is a source of uncertainty. We know people who have provided measurements, specifications and details of their powerchairs and equipment, as required, well in advance, only to be told on the day of travel that their chair or equipment cannot be accommodated. We have seen too many examples of wheelchairs and essential equipment being damaged or not arriving at the destination.
A powerchair is not a suitcase or a piece of luggage. It is essential mobility equipment and, in many cases, highly specialised and extremely expensive. The lack of care and consideration shown towards wheelchair users and their powerchairs and equipment during air travel is unacceptable.
To follow every required procedure and still be refused travel is awful. No wheelchair user should ever find themselves in that position.
What has happened to the Italian National Powerchair Football Team shines a light on a huge issue. Accessible travel should never be the barrier that prevents wheelchair users from living their lives, whether that’s representing their country, going on holiday, travelling for work, or simply visiting family and friends.
Air travel is already one of the least accessible forms of transport for wheelchair users. Stories like this show just how much still needs to change.
It’s time for airlines to do better. Everyone deserves the right to travel.
La Federazione Italiana Paralimpica Powerchair Sport (FIPPS) esprime profondo rammarico per quanto accaduto oggi alla Nazionale Italiana di Powerchair Football, impossibilitata a raggiungere Glasgow per partecipare al World Cup Warm Up 2026, torneo internazionale di preparazione al Campionato del Mo...