"It's one of the best, if not the best in the world", says Philip Craven in a visit to the Brazilian Paralympic Centre

Acclimatisation stage of the Brazilian delegation for the 2016 Paralympic Games, construction works at the Brazilian Paralympic Centre in São Paulo continue at a fast pace. Over 97% of the construction works has been finished, which drew the attention of the highest Paralympic governing authority during the visit this Thursday (10.09). The president of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Philip Craven said the Brazilian training centre is at the top in relation to such venues around the world.

For Philip Craven, the venue will make Brazil even stronger

"The Chinese also built a venue in 2007, a year before the Beijing Games. And see how much they've done since then. Korea also did something similar. This is not the first, but it's definitely one of the best, if not the best", said Craven. "These facilities will make the Brazilian team even stronger. The 2016 Games are upon us, but watch out for Tokyo 2020 and 2024. The facilities will continue to transform Brazilian Paralympians", he said.

Construction works started in December 2013. The Paralympic Centre is in a 100 thousand m² area (around 65 thousand m² built up) and is located in the Fontes do Ipiranga state park. In addition to playing host to the final stage of training for athletes that will compete in Rio de Janeiro, the venue will be a legacy for future generations. "I'm very happy for Brazilians. This is what we want all governments in the world to acknowledge: That Paralympians need the best facilities", said Craven.

"We're going to use the centre for Rio 2016, 2020 and 2024 and the future generations of athletes that you will inspire will have more structure to train than you did", said the president of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB) Andrew Parsons, to the Brazilian athletes taking part in the visit. "The centre will change Brazilian Paralympic sport. Before Guadalajara and London, we never imagined we'd have a place like this so quickly", he added.

The facilities are the result of investments reaching R$ 282 million, R$ 167 million of which is being fronted by the federal government and R$ 115 million by the São Paulo state government. The Ministry of Sport is investing R$ 20 million and the São Paulo state government another R$ 4 million in the purchase of materials to equip the venue.

The structure is one of the main venues of the National Training Network, with 86 rooms, able to lodge between 280 and 300 people, as well as training areas for 15 Paralympic sport: athletics, wheelchair basketball, boccia, swimming, wheelchair fencing, 5-a-side football, 7-a-side football, goalball, weight lifting, judo, wheelchair rugby, table tennis, wheelchair tennis, triathlon and sitting volleyball.

The Brazilian delegation that will compete at the Rio Paralympic Games will also benefit from the structure. "Good acclimatisation is essential. In 2012 in Manchester, for the first time we acclimatised in all Paralympic sports with funds from the Ministry of Sport. We managed to arrive in better conditions to compete and finished seventh. Training here for as long as we want and with the athletes close to their families, we're going to create a favourable environment to take Brazil to the fifth spot", mentioned Parsons.

IPC's president also believes in the success of the Brazilian delegation in Rio de Janeiro. You have great athletes, with a lot of technique and well trained. I noticed today that the Brazilian team is a family and when you have the opportunity to train together in 15 sports that are part of the programme in Rio next year, you intensify this", he explained, looking forward to the competition next year. "I spent three days in Rio and I can say that there is a great Paralympic spirit there. When São Paulo and the rest of Brazil get together, we'll have one of the best, if not the best Games in history", he mentioned.

Final stage

Construction works at the Paralympic centre are in their final stages. For the site's coordinator Mei Ling, another 30 to 45 days are needed to finish building works before furniture and equipment start to be put up. In the last months, the IAAF certified athletics track was assembled and the (Olympic and semi-Olympic) pools are being finished. The lodgings, which are in an environmentally preserved area away from the sport part, are practically ready.

The whole centre was built thinking of accessibility, with access ramps and lifts. "The big challenge was a big gap between the highest and lowest point on the land, on the Imigrantes roadway. We had to build the centre on five different gaps and ensure accessibility and its interconnection. We managed to do this and build the internal and external ramps", explained Mei Ling.

Ana Cláudia Felizola - brasil2016.gov.br