Beatrice “Bebe” Vio is considered one of the world's most talented and impressive fencers. She has won six Paralympic medals, the most recent being at the Paris Games in 2024, and has become a champion in many other matches. Vio is renowned in fencing and the athletic world at large for her speed, skill, and determination.
Vio was born on March 4th, 1997 in Venice, Italy. Her parents, Ruggero and Teresa Vio, were happy to welcome her as their second child. She had an older brother, Nicolo, and would soon have a little sister, Maria Sole. She began her career in fencing at age five. She was noted to be very skilled by her tutors, even at her young age. Despite what would happen later in her life, this love and skill of the sport would never die.
In 2008, Vio contracted viral-acute meningococcal meningitis, an infection that attacks the brain and spine. It took over a hundred days in the hospital and three months in rehab before she finally recovered. The disease took its toll and left Vio with facial and body tissue scarring. More significantly, her doctors were forced to amputate both her arms and legs. This left her unable to walk, much less be able to fence.
However, meningitis did not stop Vio from continuing to fence or live her life. She was trained by fellow fencers, Alice Esposito and Federica Berton, to use a combination of prosthetics and upper body strength to compete. After years of training, she hit the competition scene. In 2010, Vio took part in a match in Bologna, Italy, launching her career. By 2012, Vio had become the runner-up in the World Cup for fencing.
At sixteen, Vio competed in the IWAS Fencing Competition Grand Prix and the World Championships. She would continue to rack up victories against her various opponents. Finally, in 2016 she entered the Paralympics and took home her first gold medal in fencing. Along with this stunning victory at the Paralympics, Vio earned the title of the first quadruple amputee to ever compete in official wheelchair fencing. As of today, she is still the only quadruple fencer who has competed on an international level.
Beatrice Vio is a stand-out in the world of fencing, even in current times. In the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, she lost after a spectacular fight against Xiao Rong from China. She was graceful about the loss, saying to the press, “They deserved to get to the final for gold, she was better than me, she was better prepared physically and mentally.” Vio didn’t let this loss break her spirit, she would fight and win against both Chang Su from China and Cho Eun Hye from South Korea later in the day. Beatrice Vio brought her 6th medal, this time bronze, home to her family on that day.
Vio isn’t just a fencer, she also has an incredible life outside the sport. In 2023, Vio announced that she had graduated with a bachelors at John Cabot University, having majored in Communications and International Relations. Vio also has an interest in the fashion and modeling world, saying in interviews that she admires powerful women in the industry like Maria Grazia Chiruri. She has had the opportunity to model in Vogue Italia and debut the Nike Olympic team uniform. Vio is currently with her long-term partner, Gianmarco Viscio.
In recent years, Vio has put more focus on uplifting more disabled athletes and the disabled community at large. In an interview with Dazed, Vio said, “Fifteen percent of the world’s population has a disability; if you put us all together we would make a big country as big as China! You shouldn’t be interviewing me but them!”
In 2009, with the aid and support of her parents, Vio founded Art4sport. Art4sport is a foundation devoted to improving the quality of disabled people's lives with sports. They finance and conduct studies on improving sport-based prosthetics and the benefits of sports on disabled kids. They also run several charity events to fundraise for people who can’t afford prosthetics. Art4sport has been incredibly successful and is known worldwide for helping to promote viewership and awareness of the Paralympics. Vio also uses Art4sport and her platform to heavily promote vaccination for children, especially to prevent viral meningitis. During COVID, she openly supported vaccines to their audience.
Vio is also currently partnered with Nike to create the Bebe Vio Academy. This is an inclusive sports program aimed at disabled children and adults, especially wheelchair users. The Bebe Vio Academy is one of the only academies focused on making sure that there will be a new generation of Paralypmians.
Vio also starred in the 2020 documentary Rising Phoenix, along with fellow Paralympians Jonnie Peacock and Tatyana McFadden. Rising Phoenix focuses on the personal journeys of nine Paralympic competitors, discussing their lives, disabilities, and their impact on the disabled community. It was a success commercially, with 86% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the film, Vio stated that she wished to inspire other people to try and retain agency and personhood, despite what people assume about disabled people.
Vio is an inspiration to all disabled athletes and empowers people to overcome the assumptions made about them. She has opened the door for more disabled athletes to reach worldwide fame and success with her talent and determination.
Why Did I Choose to Research Beatrice “Bebe” Vio?
I decided to research Vio because I was impressed by her skills. Despite everything she has gone through in life, Vio is still one of the world's best fencers. She had to be innovative and figure out ways to perform while working with her disabilities. Vio is a pioneer for disabled athletes and wheelchair users. She has never forgotten about the support she received and continues to fight for the rights of people who are in worse positions. Vio is continuing to train for their next competitions and has no plans of slowing down anytime soon.
Works Cited
“Beatrice Vio - Wheelchair Fencing | Paralympic Athlete Profile.” International Paralympic Committee, https://www.paralympic.org/beatrice-vio
Paris. “Paris 2024: Italian Superstar Bebe Vio Takes Wheelchair Fencing Bronze.” International Paralympic Committee, 2024, https://www.paralympic.org/paris-2024/feature/wheelchair-fencing-star-bebe-vio-bronze. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024
Orenstein, Hannah. “The Invincible Beatrice Vio — Assembly | Malala Fund.” Assembly, 6 Aug. 2020, https://assembly.malala.org/stories/the-invincible-beatrice-vio
Livnews24. “Bebe Vio in Love with Her Boyfriend Gianmarco - Livnews24 - Medium.” Medium, Medium, 30 Sept. 2022, https://livnews24.medium.com/bebe-vio-in-love-with-her-boyfriend-gianmarco-5f3efc429f7a. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024
Valeria Della Valle. “Bebe Vio Is Changing the Conversation on Disability in Sport.” Dazed, Dazed Digital, 4 June 2024, https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/62740/1/bebe-vio-interview-profile-fencing-paralympics-2024-disability-sports
This article was published on 7/11/2025