If you’re sad that the Olympics had to come to an end, you’ll soon have another reason to stay up late and be inspired: the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games are on their way, from 7 to 18 September!
By far the world’s biggest competition for disabled yet talented athletes, this edition of the Paralympics will see 4 thousand athletes from 176 countries competing in 523 different events. A total of 2,624 medals will be awarded – more than during the Olympics!
The individual events comprise 23 sporting modalities – some of which are pretty much the same as their traditional counterparts, such as Cycling, Canoeing, Swimming and the Equestrian events; and others are adapted to the characteristics of the Paralympians, such as Sitting Volleyball, 7-a-side Football, and Wheelchair Rugby and Basketball.
This will be the 16th Paralympics, with the event first occurring in Rome, 1960. This year’s edition will feature the presence of a Refugee Team, as did the Olympics, which will make the competition all the more special.
All set and raring to go, the Brazilian delegation is made up of 278 athletes and hopes to place higher in the table than last time around, when they achieved a very respectable, unprecedented 7th overall.
Among Brazil’s main medal hopes are names such as the blind runner Terezinha Guilhermina, who last year had Usain Bolt as her guide runner. Over the course of the last three Games, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and London 2012, she has won three golds, one silver and two bronzes.
Another of Team Brazil’s great Athletics hopes is Alan Fonteles, who runs in the 100 and 200 metre sprints, as well as the 400 metres. Alan was a silver medallist at Beijing 2008, and in 2012 he took the gold from under the nose of the favourite – Oscar Pistorius – in the 200 metre sprint.
As for the Swimming, highly decorated Paralympian Daniel Dias will be hoping to add to the 15 medals he has already won at previous editions of the Games.
Anyone interested will be pleased to know that there are still tickets available for purchase, ranging in price from 10 to 130 Brazilian Reais (up to approx. £30).
To get yourself in the mood, watch this video from the Brazilian Paralympic Committee and don’t miss out on the chance to cheer on our Paralympians. Just as in the Olympics, everything is all set to ensure a wonderful couple of weeks of courage, determination and inspiration.
