Paralympic Games will improve social inclusion in Brazil, says Rio 2016 president Carlos Nuzman
With 100 days to go, Nuzman highlights inspirational effect and wide-reaching legacy of Games in special article
Carlos Nuzman (centre) with IPC vice-president Andrew Parsons, the Rio 2016 mascots and local school kids (Getty Images/Matthew Stockman)
We are 100 days away from putting on the first Paralympic Games in South America. They (the Games) are a source of inspiration. With each edition, the Games gain more ground in terms of visibility and interest.
Paralympic sport is high-performance sport. It is skill, talent, commitment, dedication, passion, excellence. The athletes become idols and their victories open new paths of hope for people with an impairment. The Paralympic Games also remind us that Rio has to be even more accessible and inclusive.
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Between 7 and 18 September, we will host 4,350 athletes from 176 countries. Brazil is a Paralympic power. Our expectation is to hear the Brazilian national anthem every day.
I am certain that Brazilian society will have a new perception of people with an impairment after the Rio 2016 Games. Our education programme, Transforma, is already in 11,000 schools across Brazil, spreading the Paralympic values: equality, courage, inspiration and determination.
Over 50,000 volunteers are being trained to attend to and work with people with an impairment. This will be one legacy for Rio and Brazilian society.
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The Paralympic Games are for everyone. They are known as the Family Games. One day is equal to the same amount of education that can very often take an entire lifetime to instil. So there really is not much else left to say, except just go.
Brazil is hosting the Games at the right time. I am sure the Rio 2016 Games are good news for the entire country. They are Brazilian Games. Sport and education will lead us toward a future of social inclusion and faith in our capacity for transformation.
I am certain that the Games will leave a wide-reaching and tangible legacy, not just on the sports field, but also in terms of urban transformation as well as human, economic and environmental progress.
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