2017 SU Bidding Update: Ministry of Education and Brazilian Paralympic Committee are committed to 2017 Brasilia Application

BRASILIA – The presentation by Andrew Parsons, President of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB), and the official meeting with the Minister of Education, Fernando Haddad, reinforced toFISU Evaluation Committee the support from government and sports authorities to the Brasilia candidacy to host the 2017 Summer Universiade.

Continuing the program of the FISU technical inspection, Hisato Igarashi, Marian Dymalski and Marc Vanderplas attended a presentation by Andrew Parsons, on November 3^rd. Andrew Parsons showed the growth of the parasports movement in the national and international scene and the importance and the opportunity of promoting parasports for college athletes.

“The Paralympic Committees are recent, founded from the 1980s. Our Brazilian federation was founded in 1995 and in twenty years we have a quantitative and qualitative growth of Brazilian disabled athletes in tournaments. And this initiative of the Brasilia candidacy for the 2017 Summer Universiade will introduce this movement to the university family, encouraging sports among young people with disabilities”, said Parsons.

After the panel of CPB, the FISU Committee went to a meeting with Ministry of Education, Fernando Haddad, who received the leaders of FISU and CBDU and the secretariat of theFederal Districtgovernment. Hadda reinforced the full support of the Ministry to host the 2017 Universiade.

“We have already approved 2.5 billion reais to revitalize the sports venues of 59 federal institutions of education, including the University of Brasilia”, Haddad told the FISU delegates. “The recovery of the University of Brasilia Olympic Centeris one of the main legacies of the 2017 Universiade in Brasilia. But beyond that, we will have the opportunity to effectively consolidate the project of the educational sport in the country”, added Luciano.

Hisato Igarashi ended the first day of the FISU visit thanking the receptivity of the Bid Committee of Brasilia 2017. “It’s a young and green city and we are happy to be here”.

Today, November 4^th, the second day of theFISU Evaluation visit, audiences with the Governor of Brasília, Agnelo Queiroz, and the sports minister Aldo Rebelo are scheduled. TheFISU officials will also make a helicopter flight overBrasilia and visit some of the sporting venues.

(Source: Pollyanna Pádua, CBDU Media Officer)