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Para Worlds: Toppers Brazil ride on a system that rewards talent
New Delhi: The just-ended World Para Athletics Championships in Delhi saw Brazil top the medals tally with 15 gold, 20 silver and 9 bronze – 44. China, with 52 medals (13 gold, 22 silver, 17 bronze) was second and Iran (16 medals – 9 gold) was third. India had 22 medals but only six gold to end 10th.
For the first time, Brazil topped the medal chart as China didn't take the honours for only the second time in 12 editions.
Coming into this event, Brazil's best performance had been in Kobe 2024, when they had 42 podium finishes and 19 gold medals. The results in India shouldn't come as a shock though for Brazil, especially over the past decade, has emerged as an irresistible force in para sports. They were second in Kobe 2024, Paris 2023, and Dubai 2019 iterations of WPAC and have figured in top-10 in eight consecutive editions starting Christchurch 2011.
With 354 medals at WPAC, Brazil currently holds the fifth spot on the all-time tally that's headed by China (590 medals). Brazil's success is not sudden, but a result of long-term structural planning and inclusion initiatives. The Brazilian bolsa atleta (athlete grant) programme provides direct support through financial assistance to its able-bodied and para athletes.
This year, the Bolsa Atleta took 9,207 athletes under its wing, the highest number of athletes it has ever supported, according to figures released by their Ministry of Sports. In 2024, the programme had 8,739 athletes. Combined with bolsa podio programme which is designed for athletes with a chance of winning medals or reaching finals at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the support system covers 9,673 athletes, representing a 6.6 percent increase compared to 2024.
Set in motion in 2005, bolsa atleta is among the world's largest individual athlete sponsorship programmes, supporting Olympic and Paralympic athletes across multiple categories.
“The Brazil Paralympic Committee (CPB) has built a nationwide system that connects the grassroots to the elite level — with talent identification programs, education for coaches and teachers, and high-performance training for athletes. It's a system that combines professionalism and passion,” said Yohansson do Nascimento, Brazil's chef de mission for WPAC 2025 and vice-president of CPB.
“We Brazil has a robust system of public and private support for athletes. The federal government offers the bolsa atleta and bolsa podio programs, which provide monthly stipends,” added the former Paralympics champion.
Additionally, the Government of the State of Sao Paulo is a major partner through the Time Sao Paulo project, which supports more than 100 athletes from various sports, many of whom won medals this time.
At the heart of Brazil's growth story in para sports lies the Brazilian Paralympic Training Centre, operational since 2017. Set in Sao Paulo and spread across 1,00,000 square metres, the facility is state-of-the-art. It can host up to 20 sports from the Paralympic Games programme with wings for biomechanics, sports medicine, physiotherapy, accommodation and nutrition. There are 86 reference centres across regions as well, allowing athletes to train near their homes.
“These centres offer access to training and guidance for both young talents and elite athletes and ensure that every talented athlete, regardless of geography or economic condition, has a clear path to high performance.”
Catch them young
The CPB also runs the Paralympic Education Programme, an online training platform for physical education teachers that helps schools across Brazil to include children with disabilities in sports classes and to identify potential athletes.
The Meeting Paralímpico Loterias Caixa, held annually from March to August, takes place in all 27 state capitals and brings together athletes of all levels, “from 12-year-old children to elite competitors,” in multiple sports such as athletics, swimming, para powerlifting, shooting, archery, boccia and table tennis.
These events serve as Brazil's main tool for discovering and developing new talent. Then there are Paralympic School Games which Nascimento asserts are the largest youth para sports event in the world. Held every year since 2006, it draws over 3,000 children who compete in 10 different sports.
“We also have the Military Sports Program, which integrates retired members of the Armed Forces who demonstrate athletic potential and supports them in their transition into Paralympic sport. Many of them have gone on to represent Brazil internationally,” Nascimento informed.
The results of this multi-pronged push are there to see. Athletes like Petrucio Ferreira and Jerusa Geber are national heroes and are “regulars on billboards,” a member of the Brazilian delegation said. “Football is our passion, but post Rio Paralympics, the interest in para sports has really grown. We hope it continues,” an official said.
Source: HindustanTimes
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