Since last december 12th, the athletes invited by the Brazilian Paralympic Committee have arrived in Rio de Janeiro for the first edition of the Loterias Caixa International Meeting. Swimming and Athletics competitions will be held in two days of sport and overcoming.

The athletes have arrived earlier to practice through those two days before the competitions to be held on 15th and 16th of the current month.

In the year of the unforgetable Rio 2007 Parapan American Games, when Brazil acchieved the milestone of winning 228 medals, organizing this new sport event confirms the Brazilian gift to broad and develop the paralympic sport. This is for sure an year of deep changes in the way to look and treat the paralympic sport in Brazil.

In this competition 60 Brazilian athletes will have as opponents 60 invited athletes from 22 countries all over the world, and not only Pananamerican countries as in the Parapan Games .

The competitions will be held in two venues already used and approved at the Pan and Parapan American Games Rio 2007: the Aquatic Center Maria Lenk for swimming and the Stadium Célio de Barros (inside the Maracanã Complex) for athletics.

The entrance for both events is free and surely will count on a larger ammount of sport fans and admirors, specially after the Games held in August, when a significant number of people watched the official events in the city.

Great athletes were invited, as the Brazilian recordist Lucas Prado, owner of the new world record in athletics 100m T11 11s26, and the Angolan José Armando. The competition between André Brasil, two times swimming recordist, and the canadian Benoit Huot, will ceratinly bring us one of the best moments in the competition.

According to the Americas Paralympic Committee (APC) president Andrew Parsons, the Parapan created several opportunities and developed the paralympic sport in our country.

The Loterias Caixa International Meeting is a world challenge that will close in big style a year of great surprises and success for the atheletes and the Brazilian paralympic sport fans.
 
For further information, please visit the website of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee at   www.cpb.org.br