Three years to go until Rio 2016

Carlos Nuzman, Rio 2016 President © • Rio 2016

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Carlos Nuzman: Three Years to the Rio 2016 Paralympics

"Paralympic sport is all about high performance sport. It is about skill, talent, commitment, dedication, passion, excellence. Without doubt, the Paralympics possess all the ingredients to excite and inspire the worldwide audience.”

The countdown to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games reached the three-years-to-go mark on Saturday, 7 September (also Brazil’s National Day of celebrating independence), and the prospect of a memorable edition enhances the festive atmosphere around the date.

With a record 4,350 athletes competing for medals in 22 sports, the first Paralympic Games in South America will also be the biggest in history.

From Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he is taking part in the 125th International Olympic Committee Session, the President of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Rio 2016) Carlos Nuzman spoke about the Games’ transformative power: “The commitment to bring transformation through sport is at the core of the Rio 2016 project. For the Paralympics, this means changing perceptions towards people with a disability and improving accessibility standards. As the Organising Committee, we aim to set new standards and provide a positive example for Brazil to follow,” he said.

"Paralympic sport is all about high performance sport. It is about skill, talent, commitment, dedication, passion, excellence. Without doubt, the Paralympics possess all the ingredients to excite and inspire the worldwide audience.”

The three-years-to-go milestone was celebrated on Friday (6 September) with Brazilian sprinter Yohansson Nascimento, current Paralympic and world champion in the 200m T46 and world record holder at the event class T45, and over 100 children at the José Manoel Gomes Tubino Village, a community sports centre in Mato Alto, Jacarepaguá, Rio de Janeiro.

Yohansson was one of the stars in Brazil’s successful campaign at the London 2012 Paralympic Games by winning the gold medal in the 200m and the silver medal in the 400m T46, for athletes with upper limb impairment. He also stole the show with two of the most memorable moments of the event. Firstly, when he decided to propose to his girlfriend by unfolding a handwritten note in front of TV cameras after victory in the 200m, and then by limping to the finish last in the 100m T46 final despite an injury.

During the event on Friday, the sprinter, who was born with no hands, spoke to the kids about his sporting career: “We all face difficulties, regardless of having a disability or not. What determines your path is how you deal with these challenges. All you have to do is believe in your dream and put your heart into what you are doing. In my case, any sacrifice is worth to represent Brazil.”

The event, which also included presentations on the Paralympic Games, was about elite sports, so the Brazilian took to the track and raced a series of 100m heats with kids at the Mato Alto Village. The sports programmes at the centre include people with disabilities and the activity moved both the champion and the aspiring athletes.

The Paralympic Integration Manager of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Mariana Mello, spoke about the origins of the Paralympic Games and its values of determination, inspiration, courage and equality, which form the base of the Paralympic Movement: “Paralympic athletes are fantastic role models for these kids. They represent the dedication, the will and the strength we need to fulfill our dreams. This kind of experience will make them better adults, more able to understand and deal with differences.”

Luiz Pizzotti, Accessibility and Sustainability Manager with the Municipal Olympic Company, presented the progress achieved and planned in Rio de Janeiro for the fields of accessibility and inclusion: “The concepts of accessibility are present in every Municipal administration project; they are not restricted to the Olympic and Paralympic Games venues. One of the main goals of the city’s preparation to host the Games is to promote total accessibility, so that this concept is incorporated to future projects.”

Over the past year preparations for the Paralympic Games have advanced in many aspects. The Rio 2016 Paralympic Integration functional area was incorporated into the Sports Department, and Agberto Guimarães became the Executive Director of Sports and Paralympic Integration, ensuring a seat for the Paralympic Movement in the Organinsing Committee’s Executive Board, and strengthening the integration with the planning of sports venues and competitions for the Games.

Rio 2016 conducted a complete technical evaluation of the competition venues and 60 pre-Games training camps to put together recommendations ensuring the best accessibility conditions possible. Around 75 new hotels are being built in the city and all of them will have at least five per cent of the rooms totally accessible.

The Organising Committee will also develop a programme to help promoting Paralympic sports in South America with the advice and guidance of the International Paralympic Committee’s Agitos Foundation.

In the city there are already 1,800 students with disability being taught sports by over 40 specially trained coaches at the Municipal government’s community sports centres, like the Mato Alto village where the Friday event took place.

The City government has also renewed the commitment to support the Rio Paralympic Team, which is formed by 20 athletes and four guides in four sports: athletics, paracanoe, swimming and judo.

The Paralympic Games has been successful in securing further commercial support, having already signed seven Tier 1 sponsors - Atos, Bradesco, Bradesco Seguros, Claro, Embratel, Nissan and Omega - and the first supporter (Tier 2) - Sadia. In late 2012, Nissan announced the team of athletes it will directly support in their preparations for the Rio 2016 Games, including six Paralympic athletes.