One of Rio 2016™’s main goals is to provide the ideal conditions for the Olympic and Paralympic Games to be equally outstanding. To this end, Rio 2016™ boasts not only the Paralympic Integration area but also another key sector to the planning and staging of the Games.

The Rio 2016™ Sustainability, Accessibility and Legacy team is prepared to provide full accessibility in the Rio 2016™ sports venues to people with or without disabilities.

“Our role is to sensitise, inform, assist in planning, prepare technical manuals, answer queries, work out solutions to issues related to architecture, communication and engineering that are functional and effective enough so that we can guarantee a high standard of services to the Rio 2016™ Olympic and Paralympic Games alike. We also liaise with external organisations”, explained Tânia Braga, the manager of the area.

The Municipal Olympic Company is one of the external organisations created to coordinate the Olympic projects conducted by the City Hall.  For their projects, Rio 2016™ and EOM are adopting some criteria which are defined in the Technical Accessibility Manual, in strict compliance with the Brazilian legislation, as well as technical norms and other norms established by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The manual was developed in partnership with the Núcleo Pró-Acesso of UFRJ (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro).

According to EOM Projects Director Roberto Ainbinder, the vehicles of the three new BRT lines and those of Transoeste, already operational, will have anti slip flooring, sound signage, wheelchair lifts and entrances at the same level as those of bus boarding platforms, guard rails and seatbelts for wheelchair users.

“The stations are being built with disability ramps, tactile flooring and wheelchair accessible turnstiles and waiting area. The new Sambódromo facilities have been equipped with accessible toilets, lifts and seats for disabled spectators”, added the EOM representative.

Universal accessibility in focus

The EOM Projects Director mentioned the contest for the selection of the design of the Rio 2016™ Olympic Park as a concern of the EOM with the Rio 2016™ accessibility matters.

“Universal accessibility was one of the main requirements of the contest. The projects were expected to offer favorable accessibility conditions in the external areas of buildings including in boarding public transportation. The winning project meets the full accessibility to all users requirement. The Olympic Park has been projected to operate on the ground floor so as to reduce the complexity of the execution and secure accessibility to athletes and spectators”, he added.

Rio 2016™ Organising Committee’s Accessibility Specialist Augusto Fernandes knows well about the challenges that people with reduced mobility have to face and stresses the importance of including people with different characteristics in the sports venues projects as well as in the other ones.

“It is important to think of all buildings from a universal accessibility perspective. In order to do so, think of people with physical, visual, auditory impairment and also the elderly, pregnant or obese, without distinction” said the civil engineer .

Augusto was a judoka until 1992, when he was seriously injured during training and became paraplegic. He started to practice basketball and swimming a year later, until being introduced to wheelchair tennis, which he played from 1996 to 2006.

“Let’s contribute to a culture of inclusion and promotion of people with disabilities. We will give more visibility to Paralympic sports and thus inspire people with disabilities to do sports. Another very important aspect of the legacy that we intend to share is breaking prejudices and showing the potential and positive contribution that people with disabilities bring to society”, said Augusto.

Aiming at contributing to the Brazilian Paralympic Movement, one of EOM’s leading projects is the Experimental Paralympic Gymnasium, in Honório Gurgel, in the North Region of Rio de Janeiro, whose inauguration is scheduled for 2014.

“The forecast is to initially assist, 200 pupils with physical, auditory, visual and intellectual impairment. The sports will be: athletics, swimming, boccia, football, sitting volleyball, wheelchair rugby and basketball, and judo. The sports venues include three indoor multi-sports courts (one official), two swimming pools (a 25-metre swimming pool adapted for users with disabilities and a children’s pool), a 200m athletics track, a football field, changing rooms and gymnastic rooms”, added Ainbinder.