Luca Pancalli

Luca Pancalli (born 16 April 1964) is an Italian sports manager and former swimmer.

Early life and education Pancalli was born in Rome. He graduated in law at the Sapienza University of Rome in 1998. As lawyer, he dedicated himself to the field of civil rights and in raising public awareness regarding the issue of disability.

Career After having won a national youth modern pentathlon championship, Pancalli became a quadriplegic in 1981 following a tumble from a horse during an international race in Austria. Despite this, he was still able to partially move his arms and took part in four different editions of the Paralympic Games from 1984 to 1996, winning eight gold, six silver, and one bronze medal in swimming.

In 1992, Pancalla was among the founders of the Italian Sports Federation of Motoring Special Licenses (FISAPS), which he chaired until 1996, the year in which he became vice-president of the Italian Sports Federation for the Disables (FISD). In 2000, he became president of the FISD. That same year, he was also appointed president of the Italian Paralympic Committee, which later became a public law body.

On 2 February 2007, following gratuitous violences in the Sicilian derby in Catania, which led to the killing of a policeman, Pancalli announced his intention to indefinitely suspend all football activities in the country. This was the second time such an event happened, the first time being after Genoa supporter Vincenzo Spagnolo was stabbed in 1995 by an alleged Milan ultras member called Simone Brasaglia. The suspension ended on 11 February 2007.

In 2021, Pancalla was awarded the title of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.