Paralympic bronze medallist Carolina Costa, right, is part of the Italian team set to feature ©Getty Images

Italy will be hoping their 13-member team for the 2022 International Blind Sport Association (IBSA) Judo European Championships can secure home triumphs when they begin competition tomorrow in Cagliari.

Carolina Costa leads the group as a Paralympic bronze medallist and the winner of the women's over-70 kilogram event three years ago.

Dong Dong Camanni is a young hopeful who won gold at the 2022 European Paralympic Youth Games while Matilde Lauria will want to improve her seventh-place finish at Tokyo 2020.

Athletes from 19 other nations - Azerbaijan, Croatia, France, Germany, Britain, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, Georgia, Switzerland, and Turkey - are all due to participate at the PalaPirastu at Cagliari's Sport Palace.

Twenty nations are expected to be represented at the 2022 IBSA European Judo Championships ©Getty Images
Twenty nations are expected to be represented at the 2022 IBSA European Judo Championships ©Getty Images

Russians and Belarusians have been banned from the event due to the invasion of Ukraine.

Sandro Di Girolamo, the President of IBSA and Italian Paralympic Sports Federation for the Visually Impaired and Blind, said he was confident the tournament would meet people's expectations.

"I am sure that the event will live up to your expectations and that is why I want to thank the Local Organising Committee that is 'guiding' the organisational machine with commitment and professionalism," he wrote.

"We look forward to seeing you numerous and eager to participate in an event that will be a springboard for the next French Paralympics."

The 2022 IBSA European Judo Championships are scheduled to run until Sunday (September 4).