Para-Olympics in Brazil
vital severino*
uma pessoa com sapatilhas realizando um salto ou pirueta espetacular.
The history of sports movements including People with Disabilities in Brazil began in 1958, when the Optimism Club was founded
in Rio de Janeiro and the Paraplegic club was founded in São
Paulo. The National Society for Disabled Sports (ande) — now
known as the National Association of Sports for People with Disabilities — was founded only years later in 1975, with the aim of
organizing and coordinating sports for people with disabilities at
a national level. International progress in this field stemming from
the emergence of the International Sports Federations per different
types of disabilities led, not surprisingly, to the emergence of sister
organizations in Brazil, National Sports Associations for the different categories of disabilities, in the wake of the movement born
in 1981, the international year of People with Disabilities. In 1995,
following the relentless steps of evolution, the Brazilian Para-Olympic Committee (cpb) was founded and thenceforth took charge
of organizing, coordinating, and directing Para-Olympic sports in
Brazil. It also began acting as intermediary for dealing with government authorities and representing Brazil within the International
Paralympic Committee — ipc. The organization of the Para-Olympic
system in Brazil actually dates back to 1972, however, when Brazil
first took part in the Heidelberg, Germany Para Olympics with its
Wheelchair Basketball team.
Para-Olympics in Brazil vital severino
In 1976, at the Para-Olympic Games held in Toronto, Canada,
Brazil’s first two Para-Olympic medals were won by athletes in
wheelchairs, Robson Sampaio de Almeida and Luis Carlos da Costa
(“Curtinho”), who won silver medals in Bocce, which is currently
only practiced by athletes with cerebral palsy.
Brazil was once again represented at the Para-Olympics in
Arnhem, Holland in two sports: wheelchair basketball and swimming.
In 1984, the revamped Para Olympics were meant to be held
in several cities throughout the United States without straying
from their original conception. Due to economic constraints, however, the games scheduled for New York and Illinois were not held
as planned, although New York did host events for athletes with
visual disabilities, amputations, and cerebral palsy. The wheelchair
events that were supposed to be held in Illinois were transferred to
Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, England. Brazil was represented at both these events. At the England games, the Brazilian
delegation won 22 medals in all, including 6 gold, 14 silver, and 2
bronze. In New York, the Brazilian delegation was comprised solely
of athletes with visual disabilities and cerebral palsy. It is worth
mentioning that this event was the first time the athletes in these
categories took part in an international event and that they won 6
medals in all: one gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze.
In 1988, the Para-Olympic Games were held once again at
the same city that hosted the Olympic Games, which had happened
previously in Rome and Tokyo, in 1960 and 1964, respectively. ConA dança é fruto da necessidade
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gistros internos e externos que justifiquem a proposição. Seria uma
proposta paradoxal? A memória nos fala que um corpo contemplado para a dança é próximo da ‘perfeição’ previamente determinada
110 | 111
de suas formas. A imagem
quase imediata que nos vem à cabeça é
In 1992, Barcelona, Spain was host to both the Olympic
and Para-Olympic Games. These games heralded the beginning of
a new era in Para-Olympic sports. The International Paralympic
Committee (ipc), which was founded in 1989, took charge of manuma
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lar.
Games, the functional classification system was put into practice
for track and field and swimming, thus completely changing the
sports framework that prevailed until then. Physical and athletic
fitness, coupled with new technologies designed by international
companies, added a dimension of high performance to the competitions. Through the newly created Para-Olympic Committee — this
time under the National Secretariat for Sport of the Presidency of
the Republic — as well as corde and organizations of people with
disabilities, the Brazilian delegation went to Barcelona and brought
back 3 gold and 4 bronze medals, as well as 2 world records.
In 1996, Brazil took part in the Atlanta Games and the number
of medals reached 21, including 2 gold, 6 silver, and 13 bronze.
The results achieved in Atlanta were a modest reflection of
the new scenario of Brazilian Para-Olympic sports as of 1995, when
the Brazilian Para-Olympic Committee was founded.
The dreams of those idealists in 1995 of turning Para-Olympic sports into a concrete reality in Brazil — and beyond — began
to be fulfilled at the end of the Nineties, as well as before and
during the Sydney Para Olympics, thanks to the gargantuan efforts
of the first cpb, which have been continued by the current administration. The initial dreams turned into promises, and the promises
raised expectations that time made sure of meeting, said and done!
Firstly, the logistics of Para-Olympics differ greatly from that
of world championships. The difference perhaps lies in the glamour and charm cast by the media, which focuses its coverage on
one place, at one time, on a sole constellation of stars from all categories from throughout the globe. Some might say: Para-Olympics
are Para-Olympics! While others may affirm: — if you break a world
record, you are the best in the world! Is there anything better in the
world than being the best in the world at something!?! So, one might
Para-Olympics in Brazil vital severino
reasonably say that, technically speaking, Para-Olympics and world
championships are analogous.
One must also remember: Sydney 2000 was a landmark in
Brazilian Para-Olympic history, a turning point that drew the attention of the public at large to the phenomenon of Brazilian Para
Olympics. The Brazilian delegation went to participate in nine
sports: track and field, swimming, judo, weightlifting, fencing,
cycling, basketball for the mentally disabled, and soccer for people
with cerebral palsy.
Their brilliant performance dazzled the paralympic community in Sydney and captivated Brazilian fans, as our athletes won
22 medals, including 6 gold (four of which were framed by world
records), 10 silver and 6 bronze in track and field, swimming, judo,
and soccer for people with cerebral palsy.
The Para-Olympic movement reaped good results, which can
be felt throughout Brazil.
After the cpb headquarters were transferred to Brasilia in
2002, with the aim of making dreams and expectations come true,
it took on a busy calendar of events. In the first week of July, we
embarked upon the path to Athens 2004, as our Team Table Tennis
athletes competed in Roermond, Holland.
Form July 3rd to 13th, we went to the World Rifling Championships held in Hwasung, Korea. Then we got the green light to
organize the Para-Pan-American Rifling Championships this year
in Brazil.
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Lille, Brazil
won a large collection of
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20 através
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and
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– ou
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re-year still.
gistros internos e externos que justifiquem a proposição. Seria uma
proposta paradoxal? A memória nos fala que um corpo contemplado para a dança é próximo da ‘perfeição’ previamente determinada
112 | 113
de suas formas. A imagem
quase imediata que nos vem à cabeça é
The calendar of international championships continued form
the 21st to the 30th in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at the World Weightlifting Championships. In the last week in August, the cpb confirmed our participation in the wheelchair basketball team, which
uma
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in
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the Kitakyushu, Japan competition.
Form August 30th through September 7th, the Brazilian Association of Sports for the Blind (abdc) was ensured by the cpb that
the World Goalball Championships will be held in Rio de Janeiro.
From September 5th to 9th, the cpb went to Rome, Italy, where we
won, along with the abdc, four medals in judo, including one silver
and three bronze.
Still in September, in Tremosine, Italy, we joined the Brazilian Tennis Federation, (cbt), which was competing in the World
Wheelchair Tennis Championships. The Brazilians took third place
among the countries from the Americas.
From November 30th to December 8th, the abdc made Rio
de Janeiro host to the World Futsal for the Blind Championships,
where we took a third-place bronze medal.
We ended our long and fruitful journey in 2002 in Mar Del
Plata, Argentina, where we won 23 medals: five gold, 8 silver, 10
bronze, as well as breaking 3 world records.
By the end of 2002, we had won 42 medals in four sports,
just as in Sydney: no less than 11 gold, 13 silver, and 18 bronze.
After the Sydney Para-Olympics and our victories in 2002,
Brazil holds 8 world records — four of which were broken in
Sydney and still stand — and 4 in 2002: one in Lille and three in
Mar del Plata.
If 22 medals in Sydney 2000 was quite an achievement, then
the 42 medals in 2002 was excellent by comparison, especially in
light of the structural, administrative, and technological changes
that needed to be made as a result of our move to Brasilia, the
nation’s capital.
In Athens 2004, we hope to perform just as well or even
better. This is what drives the work at cpb moment by moment,
Para-Olympics in Brazil vital severino
overcoming obstacles and enabling athletes to win medals and
break records. Thus, the Committee fulfills its goal, reaffirming and
meeting the commitment of consolidating Para-Olympic Sports in
Brazil. Said and done indeed!
* President of the Brazilian Para-Olympic Committee ([email protected]).
A dança é fruto da necessidade de expressão da pessoa e se liga ao
que há de básico na natureza humana: sentimentos, desejos, realidades, sonhos, traumas, através das formas mais diversas. Quantas
vezes a dança é utilizada para contar, ilustrar, representar e localizar a história de um povo, de uma civilização, de uma época? São
indubitáveis sua importância e significação. Falemos, porém, da linguagem da dança habilitando a pessoa com deficiência para a vida,
a dança como instrumento facilitador da percepção de que o indivíduo faz parte finalmente – ou novamente – de uma sociedade.
Nossa imaginação e lembrança logo se colocam atentas buscando registros internos e externos que justifiquem a proposição. Seria uma
proposta paradoxal? A memória nos fala que um corpo contemplado para a dança é próximo da ‘perfeição’ previamente determinada
114 | 115
de suas formas. A imagem
quase imediata que nos vem à cabeça é