Beatrice Vio

Beatrice Vio, widely known as Bebe Vio, is an Italian wheelchair fencer recognized for her achievements in Paralympic sports. Vio has secured multiple European championships, World championships, and Paralympic gold medals in the foil B category. During her childhood, she pursued interests in school, fencing—which she began at age five—and scouting. Her dedication to fencing persisted despite significant challenges.

In late 2008, Vio contracted severe meningitis, resulting in the amputation of both legs from the knee and both arms from the forearms. Following more than three months of intensive rehabilitation, she returned to fencing, utilizing specialized prosthetics to hold her foil and compete from the shoulder. Vio became the first quadruple amputee to participate in official wheelchair fencing competitions. In response to her experience, her parents established the non-profit organization Art4sport Onlus, which supports sports participation for young amputees.

Vio was selected as a torchbearer for the opening ceremony of the London Paralympic Games after a public campaign. She won her first World Cup in Montreal, defeating Olympic silver medalist Gyöngyi Dani, and was named Paralympic Athlete of the Month by the International Paralympic Committee. Vio continued to advance in international wheelchair fencing, winning European and World gold medals and maintaining an unbeaten streak in major events. At her Paralympic debut in Rio, she won gold in the individual foil B event, defeating China's Jingjing Zhou. Vio also received a Laureus World Sports Award, joining other nominees from the global sports community.

Vio later competed in the Tokyo Summer Paralympics, where she again defeated Zhou Jingjing to win another gold medal in the wheelchair fencing foil individual event. She carried the Italian flag and led her team during the opening ceremony. At the Paris Summer Paralympics, Vio earned two bronze medals in the individual and team foil events. She also received the America Award from the Italy-USA Foundation.

Outside of competition, Vio is active as a motivational speaker, author, actor, television host, and advocate for disability sport and inclusion. She is featured in the Netflix documentary "Rising Phoenix," which highlights the stories of nine Paralympians. Vio campaigns for early vaccination and has partnered with Nike to establish the Bebe Vio Academy, an inclusive sports program for disabled children and adults, with a focus on wheelchair users. She holds a degree in communication and international relations from John Cabot University in Rome.