Sixteen medals, thirteen gold and three silver: this was the balance won by seven para-athletes-users of the Santos Dumont Institute (ISD) during the Paralympic Meeting stage last Saturday (27), in Natal. The victories were achieved in the para-athletics, shot put and weightlifting events, held at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN). The result was celebrated by athletes, families and coaches.
“The balance was extremely positive. It was the first event for some of the boys, some of whom were still at school age”, points out Paulo César, physical educator at the Paralympic Reference Center ISD/Macaíba, who carries out parasport training for students in partnership with the Associação Amigos do Dênio Físico (Association Friends of the Physically Handicapped) ( Sadef RN).
The Paralympic Meeting has been held since 2021 by the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB), bringing together beginner, university and high-performance athletes in competitions of different modalities. In Natal, there were 241 registered. This year, steps will be taken in all Brazilian capitals to expand access for people with disabilities in the sports segment, as explained by CPB vice-president, Yohansson Ferreira.
“We understand that sometimes it can be very complicated for the club to send athletes who are just starting out to other places, the cost would be much higher. So, with the competitions being in their cities, they can have an additional opportunity, they can bring their families, they can promote Paralympic sport regionally and locally”, he explains.
For the parents of Alysson Silva, 16, who won gold in shot put and two silvers in para-athletics, it was an opportunity to cheer and encourage their son in his debut as a para-sports competitor.
“For me, just by getting on the track, he already won”, confesses his father, Josenilson Ferreira, who is also an athlete, emotionally. “Physically disabled people go through a lot, they depend on a lot of help, but thank God today they are in sport, competing, and they will win”, he says.
Alysson was born with a bone marrow deficiency and has been undergoing treatment at ISD for approximately 3 years. He is a patient in the Institute's Child and Youth Spinal Cord Injury care line, where he has access to care from a multidisciplinary team.
The mother says that her son decided to take up the sport after starting treatment at ISD, and that this was a transformative moment in the son's rehabilitation process, also contributing to improving his self-esteem.
“Until he was 10 years old, he didn’t accept himself the way he was, he didn’t open up to the world. After the Institute, he started to undergo physiotherapy and follow-up with a psychologist and what he thought of himself improved, he improved one hundred percent”, he assesses.
Coach Paulo César emphasizes that “parasport comes to add to the rehabilitation of a young person or adult, as a form of socialization and development of this human being, to give perspectives beyond the treatment they are accustomed to”.
In addition to Alysson, Oneill Andrews (19 years old), Francisco da Silva (14 years old) and Samuel Vasconcellos also debuted in para-athletics and shot put, winning gold, silver and bronze medals.
Meanwhile, João Gabriel, just 13 years old, says he has been participating in competitions since 2015. At this stage of the Meeting, he took home four medals: in para-athletics there were two gold and one bronze, and in the shot put, one of silver.
Para-athletics also yielded a gold, in the 1,500 meters, and a silver, in the 800 meters, for veteran Pablo Augusto, a high-performance para-athlete who participates in ISD's para-sports activities and is also a scientific initiation student at the Institute.
“It was sensational to see the whole team dedicating themselves and giving their best. It was a unique opportunity for growth, both in sport and personally. The competition played a super important role, uniting people around a common goal and showing that together we are stronger”, concludes the athlete.
In weightlifting, athlete Paulo Lucas also came in first place.
Paralympic Reference Center
The ISD/Macaíba Paralympic Reference Center is accredited by the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB). Currently, bocce and para-athletics are offered free of charge to adults and children aged 7 and over. Training ranges from sports initiation to high performance.
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.
parasport
ISD promotes parasports activities for users of CER ISD care lines in weekly meetings, held in partnership with Macaíba City Hall. The Institute carries out courses, training actions and events on the topic, involving physical educators, professionals from other health areas, CER users and their families.
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.
