1st Transplant Football World Cup
1st Transplant Football World Cup
from Sunday 8th to Saturday 14th September 2024
Cervia is preparing to host the first edition of the Transplant Football World Cup.
More than 300 people, including coaches and athletes, more than 180 transplant footballers, 2 sports fields involved and dozens of volunteers including medical staff will arrive in Cervia for this important event promoted by the World Transplant Games Federation.
The competing nations
The teams, consisting of a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 16 players, will be made up of transplant recipients who will join together on the pitch to celebrate their second chance at life.
Men and women of all ages can compete for their country.
Eleven nations competed: Australia, Chile, England, France, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Italy, Romania, Spain, USA, Wales.
The Italian team, coached by coach Antony Tortomasi, is made up of 16 players, aged between 16 and 60, all of them kidney and bone marrow transplant recipients, coming from all over Italy.
The tournament
The teams will compete in a preliminary round and the best will qualify for a semi-final and a knockout final. The matches will be played according to FIFA rules for 7-man teams, with some modifications to safeguard the athletes' transplanted organs.
The tournament is streamed live on the World Transplant Games Federation's YouTube channel.
Admission to the matches is free
Competition programme
Saturday 8th September
8.30 p.m. - Opening Ceremony, free entrance
The large parade of delegations highlights the different participants from all over the world. The evening continues, after the institutional greetings, with a freestyle football show by Antonio Colella.
Monday 9th September
9.00 a.m. - Round 1
Tuesday 10th September
Round 2
Wednesday 11th September
Round 3;
from 4.30 p.m to 6.30 p.m. - Public Conference
at the Palacongressi di Milano Marittima
Public conference to address the issue of transplantation as a global right.
The conference - organised in cooperation with the Emilia Romagna Transplant Reference Centre - will highlight the essential role of sport as an indispensable therapy for both people and transplanted organs. It will include a lecture by Sofie Leunis, researcher at the University Hospitals of Leuven (BE), entitled ‘The Strength of Muscle Strength’.
Thursday 12th September
Semifinals
Friday 13th September
Finals, Gala Dinner and Award Ceremony at the Club Hotel Cervia Village
In addition to participation medals for all, special awards will be presented, including the coveted WTGF Trophy. Prizes will also be awarded to the best scorer, best player, best goalkeeper, and the team that demonstrated the highest level of fair play.
In addition, gold, silver, and bronze medals will be presented to the top teams to mark their outstanding achievements in this historic event.
- Click here for more information on the Tournament
When
from Saturday 8th to Sunday 14th September 2024
Opening
see details on page
Luogo
Brian Filipi Sports Centre
Cervia - Via Pinarella 66
Official Tourist Information Site of Cervia