Boccia para-athlete Jessika Azevedo received surprising news this Wednesday (12). At 21 years old, she was called up for a training period with the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB) Youth Team in São Paulo. The training sessions are scheduled to take place between July 3 and 7, at the CPB headquarters in the capital of São Paulo.
Jessika was not expecting the call-up. This is because the para-athlete has reached the age limit to join the Youth Team, which includes athletes up to 21 years old. She has already been part of the Youth team in other call-ups. In São Paulo, Jessika will have the opportunity to once again join the para-athletes who represent Brazilian bocce in international competitions.
“This call-up was very surprising because I thought I would no longer be able to be part of the Youth Team. But when I opened the list and saw my name on it, I was very happy. It is great to have this opportunity to, once again, be in São Paulo, training with the athletes and professionals of the Brazilian Team and learning new things”, says Jéssika.
The para-athlete has been a user of the Santos Dumont Institute (ISD) para-sports care line for a year. She competes in bocce competitions for the Associação Paradesportiva do RN (APARN), and has the opportunity to be accompanied by CPB-qualified coaches at the ISD Paralympic Reference Center, located in Macaíba. In addition, she receives assistance from the care line professionals, who enhance sports performance and work on social inclusion as a means of improving the quality of life of users.
Jessika is a promising athlete in Brazilian Paralympics. In 2024, she will have been playing bocce for 10 years. During this time, she has participated in numerous national and international competitions, winning gold medals at the School Paralympics in 2016 and silver in 2018. The athlete from Rio Grande do Norte is among the top athletes in the sport in the country, and is a reserve for the Paris Paralympic Games, which will be held between August and September. “Competing in the Paralympics is a dream that I want to achieve one day,” she says.
While her Olympic dream has yet to become a reality, Jessika relies on the help of her father, Josenildo Agostinho, to achieve even better results. In addition to encouraging her in the sport, Josenildo is his daughter's gutterman. He is the one who directs the gutter through which the ball passes in bocce matches. Jessika competes in the BC3 class, for people with severe disabilities, which allows the use of an auxiliary instrument and assistance from another person. “It is a pleasure to train with my daughter, help her in competitions and see her growth through sport,” confesses Josenildo.
At birth, Jessika was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 2, a neuromuscular disease that causes the death of lower motor neurons. Due to the disease, she has limited movement in her upper and lower limbs. In addition to her sports, Jessika is studying architecture at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN).
Get to know bocce
Paralympic boccia is one of the sports offered by the ISD Paralympic Reference Center, located in Macaíba. Currently, eight athletes who use the parasports care line train at the facility, which operates at the Anita Garibaldi Health Education and Research Center (Anita).
The sport can be practiced by athletes with a high degree of cerebral palsy or severe disabilities. The competition consists of throwing colored balls as close as possible to a white one. Athletes sit in wheelchairs and are limited to a marked space to make the throws. They are allowed to use their hands, feet and assistive devices (gutters), and have helpers (gutters) in the case of athletes with greater limb impairment.
As explained by CPB coach Samuel Vasconcelos, bocce is an inclusive sport, easily accessible to people with disabilities and can be practiced by different age groups. “Bocce is a sport adapted precisely for those who are not included in other sports. It is a great inclusion tool for people with major limitations. We want to bring more athletes to our sport to see them shine in national and international competitions,” he predicts.
Paralympic Reference Center
The ISD/Macaíba Paralympic Reference Center is accredited by the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB). Currently, boccia and para-athletics are offered to adults and children aged 7 and over, free of charge. Training ranges from beginners to high-performance athletes.
After making an appointment, interested people undergo a remote screening followed by a global assessment, when the eligibility criteria for the modalities offered at the Institute are verified. Scheduling can be done by calling (84) 4042-0033; (84) 4042-0044, or via WhatsApp: (84) 9-9155-3027, from Monday to Friday, from 8am to 5pm.
About ISD
The Santos Dumont Institute (ISD) is a Social Organization linked to the Ministry of Education (MEC) and includes the Edmond and Lily Safra International Neuroscience Institute and the Anita Garibaldi Center for Health Education and Research, both in Macaíba. ISD's mission is to promote education for life, forming citizens through integrated teaching, research and extension actions, in addition to contributing to a fairer and more humane transformation of Brazilian social reality.
