POSTED: Monday August 20th 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CO-RIO MAKES POSITIVE ASSESSMENT OF PARAPAN AMERICAN GAMES RIO 2007
The Organizing Committee of the Rio 2007 Games (CO-RIO) presented on Sunday, August 19, a general assessment of the Parapan American Games Rio 2007. The event was attended by Minister of Sports Orlando Silva; International Paralympic Committee (IPC) CEO Xavier Gonz?lez; Americas Paralympic Committee (APC) President Andrew Parsons; CO-RIO President Carlos Arthur Nuzman; and CO-RIO Secretary General Carlos Roberto Os?rio. The competition was a milestone for Paralympic Sport, as for the first time were the Parapan American Games staged in the same city as and using the same structure for the Pan American Games.
For Silva, the Rio 2007 games will leave important legacies such as larger investments in sport and the inclusion of persons with a disability in public discussions. ?The Pan American and the Parapan American Games were a mark in the history of Brazilian Sport. Brazil can be proud, because we were capable of staging these high-level competitions. We took a step forward in the quest for hosting the 2016 Olympic Games,? he said.
Prior to the beginning of the Parapan American Games, Gonz?lez said that it was a dream to stage the event in the same city as and using the same structure for the Pan American Games. In his opinion, the results were better than expected. ?Reality surpassed the dream. I knew the venues and the organization would have a high level, but facts like the participation of the audience made this event very special. No one expected everything that took place over the past seven days,? he said Gonz?lez.
Parsons considers that Rio 2007 has established a new level in Paralympic competitions. ?One of the legacies of Rio 2007 will be the continuation of the Parpan American Games in Guadalajara 2011. A pledge in which Guadalajara commits to staging the Parapan American Games as well has already been signed, said Andrew.
Nuzman said that Brazil?s ability to stage large sporting events such as the Pan American and the Parapan American Games was proven. ?We can say that we are living a historical moment. We have written one of the most important pages in the history of Brazilian Sport, and this was recognized internationally by athletes, by officials, and by the media,? said Nuzman.
Presentation of the Balance of the Parapan American Games Rio 2007 ?12-19 August 2007
Balance
The Parapan American Games Rio 2007 were a milestone in the history of Paralympic Sport in Brazil and in the Americas, representing a quality leap in the organization of Paralympic events in the continent
? For the first time the Games were staged in the same city, using the same venues, and with the same structure as the Pan American Games.
? Olympic level of venues and structure/services to athletes and participants
? TV Broadcast of competitions and large sporting coverage by the press.
? Popular support for the Games, which were an opportunity for the entire Brazilian society to reflect upon the different questions relating to persons with a disability
? The first torch Relay in Parapan American sport was held.
There were 50 torchbearers, among Pan American medalists, Paralympic athletes and persons involved with the movement for the rights of persons with a disability.
Technical Quality of competitions
? 25 participating countries
? 28 world
records broken
? 101 Pan American
records broken
? Competitions held at high level and all 10 sporting disciplines qualified for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games
? Specific adaptations for the operation of Paralympic events at the sports venues
Parapan American Village
? Wide approval. Accessibility deserved compliments by athletes and delegations. The Parapan American Village was built in compliance with the norms by the ABNT (Brazilian Association of Technical Norms).
? 2,300 residents
? 1,500 workers
? Polyclinic ? over 500 check-ins
? Gym with state-of-the-art equipment
? Digital Inclusion Center with free access to computers adapted to persons with a disability ? over 2,200 users
? Daily Village Newspaper ? 2,000 copies/day
? Shop for repair of orthesis, prosthesis and wheelchairs - 550 check-ins
? 25 tons of washed loads
? 100,000 meals served
Public participation
? The Rio 2007 games contributed for the spread of Paralympic Sport among people of all ages.
? The free admission at all venues encouraged the presence of supporters
? Tens of thousands of students and teachers attended competitions in the Parapan American Games Rio 2007
? No incident recorded in the common domains
? Compliance with safety norms (clear emergency exits) and by ABNT (Brazilian Association for Technical Norms).
? Spectator Services operation, with 700 staff guiding the audience and volunteers trained to assist spectators with a disability.
? Ombudsmen at the competitions venues
Project Community Integrated to the Parapan
? Meeting with the participation of 500 education professionals held at Jo?o Havelange Stadium.
? Distribution of 10,000 booklets for teachers and students ? history of Brazilian Paralympic Sport, explanations about the disciplines staged during the Parapan American Games, Games program and guidelines for treating persons with a disability.
? Visits by 28 Paralympic athletes to 30 schools and social projects.
? About 40,000 people came to the Project spontaneously.
Marketing program
? Official Dufry stores: at Rio Olympic Arena, at Riocentro and at the Parapan American Village.
? Sales of products licensed exclusively to the Parapan American Games: Shirts and caps by Olympikus; mugs by Oxford; key chains by Lucam?s; and small- and medium-sized mascot Cau? dolls by Grow.
? Sponsorship Program with exclusive sponsor, Loterias Caixa, plus 14 suppliers.
Volunteer program
? Extension of the successful volunteer program for the Pan American Games.
? 5,000 volunteers, out of which 50 persons with a disability.
Operation figures
About 29,000 accredited persons, including:
? 1,126 athletes
? 671 officials
? 106 technical delegate officials, National Confederation Presidents, International Federation Presidents
? 358 judges and referees
? 5,000 volunteers
? 1,518 associates (CO-RIO workforce)
? 8,316 contractors (suppliers in general)
? 9,269 members from the three levels of Government
? 980 sponsor employees
? 357 journalists from the written press, with professionals from six countries
? 750 radio and TV professionals
Transport
Fleet with 324 vehicles. Which carried out about 1,300 trips a day:
? 70 buses / minibuses
? 43 adapted buses / minibuses
? 150 cars
? 41 vans
? 20 adapted vans
There was no delay in the arrival of athletes to the competition venues. Athletes found a special transport system, with the support of security escort.
? At Rio de Janeiro International airport, a partnership between CO-RIO and Infraero allowed that staff involved in the operation received special training on accessibility laws, interaction with persons with a disability, and participated in simulations prior to athlete arrivals
? Six access ramps were set up in order to speed up the bus boarding and drop-off process
MOC
? The Main Operations Center (MOC) will have a total of 210 work hours between August 6 and Monday (august 20).
Security
? It followed the well-praised model used at the Pan American Games Rio 2007, under the responsibility of the National Secretary of Public Safety (Senasp) and support from organizations from the three levels of government. The National Force was present at both sports and non-sports venues.
? No serious incidents were recorded.
Further information:
CO-RIO Press Department/Textual
M?rcia Penna Firme ? Services Manager
Service to international press
Eloyza Guardia
eloyza.guardia@rio2007.org.br ? tel. (21) 2007-2545
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