Brazilian Swimmers Break
World Record

It happened on December 18, 1999, in the swimming pool of the Aquatic Park Júlio Delamare, Sporting Complex of Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, during the Finkel Trophy of Swimming, Brazilian Championships. This competition involved the best Brazilian swimmers and in the middle of this, Paralympic sport had its noble space.

The four Paralympic swimmers of the 4 x 50 low free relay, Luís Silva, Clodoaldo Silva, Francisco Avelino and Adriano Lima, lined up before their lane in an attempt to break the world record. The speaker of the event announced the race. The public's attention got focused. The main Brazilian station, TV GLOBO, was there to capture the images and moments of pure emotion and expectation.

The boys from Brazil knew how to overcome the obstacles and they didn't disappoint. The world record was broken with a time of 2'27,40''. The crowd cheered the Paralympic swimmers. The public’s hearts were won. It was a day of victory.

Paralympic sport in Brazil is increasingly winning space and visibility. The boys from Brazil now possess a dream – the Paralympic gold medal. They are training hard with the objective of representing Brazil in Sydney 2000, with support from the Brazilian Paralympic Committee and sponsorship from the Bank of Brazil. And they are certainly aiming for the top spots.

Ricardo Braga
Brazilian Paralympic Committee

Australian Sports Science Research Initiative

Since January 2000 the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) have established an APC research coordinating centre at QUT. The aim is principally to improve the limited sports science support available, improve the education of professionals, implement a talent identification program and the research support required to further improve the performance of Paralympic athletes. The enhancement of the existing sports science research network, which includes the Australian Institute of Sport and State Academies of Sport, will help provide an opportunity to further sports science research in conjunction with established university sport science research programs. This program will also identify and prioritize research needs and stimulate and conduct active research programs to increase opportunities for athletes with a disability.

The Centre at QUT will provide the link between coaches and researchers and facilitate and coordinate applied research across the country. For example, the coordination of injury data and analysis collected from athletes with a disability will provide national information on injury trends and problems in this population of athletes.

The implementation of a national disability database is central to the establishment of the Sports Science Research Network and will consist of an information service for both coaches and researchers, and also assist in the identification of a research group or facility that has the equipment and expertise to undertake a research project. This initiative will lead to an increased number of researchers associated with areas of interest to the APC, more informed professionals working with athletes with a disability, the identification of talented athletes and facilitation of research designed to enhance performance of these athletes with reduced risk of injury.

Jarrod Meerkin was appointed as the National Research Coordinator in December 1999 and will coordinate the APC Research Centre in the School of Human Movement Studies at QUT. Meerkin recently completed his doctorate in the area of musculo-skeletal adaptation of trans-femoral and trans-tibial amputees and can be contacted for more information by e-mail: j.meerkin@qut.edu.au.