Brazil to field its largest-ever delegation at 2016 Rio Paralympics

Brazil, as the host country, will field its largestever contingent of athletes at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, participating for the first time in all 22 categories of competition.

The Brazilian delegation was officially announced and presented on Tuesday at Sao Paulo’s Brazilian Paralympic Center, where the athletes will gather until early September, when they will travel to Rio de Janeiro to participate in the summer games starting on Sept. 7.

The delegation includes total of 278 athletes 181 men and 97 women along with 16 athleteguides for blind runners, three assistants for the “boccia” event and two “5man soccer” goalkeepers with no vision limitations.

Fortyfour of the 278 athletes have already won medals in their Paralympic events.

“It’s an important step. I’m sure that these 278 athletes are going to take us into the top five,” said Brazilian Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons.

He said that Brazil hopes to move up from seventh position, where it stood after the London 2012 Paralympic Games and be one of the top five countries in terms of medalwinners.

Three new Brazilian Paralympic ambassadors were announced at the presentation ceremony: businessman Jose Victor Oliva the father of Olympic equestrian João Víctor Oliva and actors Paulo Vilhena and Cleo Pires.

World recordholding sprinter Terezinha Guilhermina told EFE that the Brazilian delegation is “very well prepared,” adding that “the Games ... will make it possible for people (in Brazil) to look first at the person and not at the disability.”

Among the Games’ 22 sports categories are athleticism, archery, boccia, equestrian sports, goalball, powerlifting, rowing, shooting, seated volleyball, swimming, table tennis, triathlon, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis, along with canoeing, cycling, 5man soccer, 7man soccer, judo, sailing and wheelchair fencing.

The games are scheduled to run from Sept. 718.