A different way of looking at the world of sport is to observe it from the point of view of a disabled athlete. Never forget that the most important thing is to be happy. "Sport saves, but it can be competitive, make you lose sight of others under the weight of pressure. In the Fantastic 5 we tell a different educational story about sport, moving away from rhetoric and pietism." These are the words of Raoul Bova, protagonist of the new Mediaset series I Fantastico 5, broadcast for 4 prime time on Canale 5 from 17 January. Born from an idea by Massimo Gramellini and Luca Bernabei, the series was then developed by Andrea Nobile and stars Bova in the role of Riccardo, coach of a team of disabled athletes who are preparing for the European Athletics Championship. "We have avoided any kind of stereotype or pietism, so as not to be discounted about disability. By making the story truer and more authentic," says Bova, a former professional swimmer. At the center is the story of redemption of Riccardo (Bova) who dedicated his life to athletics and training while neglecting the rest. "At the age of 45, he was coaching athletes under 12, until a life-changing phone call arrived. He takes his two teenage daughters, two strangers plunged back into his life after the death of his ex-wife, and moves with them to Ancona where he will train a group of Paralympic athletes in view of the European Championships. Initially, the relationship with the young athletes won't be easy: they don't believe in him, but then we'll see." At the presentation of the Fantastic 5 at the Casa del Cinema in Rome, in addition to the protagonist, the entire cast, the producers Luca and Matilde Bernabei, Giancarlo Scheri (director of Canale 5), Daniele Cesarano (director of Mediaset Fiction), Luca Pancalli (president of the Italian Paralympic Committee) and Monica Contrafatto (Bronze in the 100 meters at the 2021 Paralympics and the 2023 World Championships) were present. The fiction is produced by Lux Vide, a Fremantle group company, in collaboration with RTI, directed by Alexis Sweet and Laszlo Barbo. With Bova a group of young actors and Paralympic athletes such as Martina Caironi, Monica Contrafatto and Ambra Sabatini. And again Gaia Messerklinger who is Alessandra the physiotherapist; Gianluca Gobbi is Freddie, a doctor at the NovaLux sports centre; Francesca Cavallin is Sofia, director of NovaLux; the boys Vittorio Magazzù who plays Christian, Enea Barozzi is Elia, Fiorenza D'Antonio is Marzia, Chiara Bordi is Laura. A special TV series that tells the difficulties, the social life but above all the great passion for sport of the five disabled athletes. "What my character, Riccardo," explains the actor, "teaches is not to win, but to be happy, because that's what victory is all about, competing with your teammates, working as a team. Enter the understanding of how important happiness is in the lives of champions. You have to be happy to be a winner, my character says. An expression that I didn't understand, yet those who win are not always happy." Bova recalls: "I went to high school with blind and disabled classmates. I never felt a great distance, my best friend when I was young was deaf, we swam together and we could communicate very well. To do this, from a very young age, I understood that it takes closeness and friendship. I had the perception of difficulty by simply carrying my son's stroller when I became a father. There is still much to be done in our civic sense. In theif the disability has passed into the background. Sport makes everyone equal." Alexis Sweet recalls how Chiara Bordi, who is Laura who lost a leg in the fiction, has a similar story (Chiara has a prosthetic left leg following an accident with the scooter). "It amazes me that people are surprised that a disabled person can be an actor or actress," Bordi points out, explaining that he started with fashion and participated in the TV series Prisma: "I relied on a coach, I studied acting and I continue to do so. The problem is that there are few actors with disabilities, less than 5% of the world's production has actors with disabilities." Monica Contrafatto says: "I see myself a bit in Laura, even if the incident is different, since I was hit by a mortar in Afghanistan. But I also watched a race from my hospital bed and decided to become an athlete. I hope people can understand that we are all equal and that diversity is in the eye of the beholder."
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