Paralympic Festival brings together more than 21,000 young people across the country

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Event brings Paralympic sports to children and teenagers

Brasilia DF) – The first Paralympic Festival of 2023 brought together more than 21,000 children and teenagers this Saturday (20), in 119 nuclei, distributed across the country’s 26 states and the Federal District. The mark is a record for the event, held by the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB) since 2018 and which takes activities that simulate Paralympic sports, in a playful way, to young people aged 8 to 17 years, with and without disabilities.

The Paralympic Training Center, in São Paulo, was one of the venues for the festival. The structure, which usually receives the preparation of the main Paralympic athletes in the country throughout the year, was attended by more than a thousand children and adolescents, practicing athletics, bocce, archery and fencing in a wheelchair.

“It was a true celebration of inclusion, with the interaction of people with and without disabilities throughout the national territory. We have clearly shown that everyone can do the same things, albeit in a different way”, said the CPB president, Mizael Conrado, to the entity’s official website.

The event did not only receive young Brazilians. According to the Committee, 40 of the approximately 130 participants at the Boa Vista headquarters were Venezuelans, who practiced athletics, bocce and sitting volleyball.

“I didn’t know about Paralympic sport. I loved this morning. I felt free, unashamed of being who I am. I don’t know how to explain it right. It was a different and very good energy. Now, I don’t want to leave track and field anymore,” said 16-year-old Venezuelan Sara Velázquez, who uses a wheelchair because she has lost strength in her lower limbs.

According to the CPB, most (36%) of this year’s participants had an intellectual disability. Another 19.5% were children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, while young people with physical disabilities represented 10.2% of the total. The remaining applicants were divided between people with other types of impairment (visual, auditory and multiple) and the 20% of vacancies destined for people without disabilities.

A second edition of the Paralympic Festival in 2023 is scheduled for September 23, again on Saturday. The date closes the week in which the National Day of Struggle for People with Disabilities (September 21) and the National Day of the Paralympic Athlete (22) are celebrated.

*With information from Agência Brasil

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