On the eve of the Paralympic Games in Paris, one expectation is whether Brazil will follow, cheer, and be moved by the athletes' participation, just as it was less than a month ago when the country took part in the Olympics.
At the last Paralympics in Japan, in 2021, Brazilian parathletes stood on the podium 72 times and won 22 gold medals. This number exceeds the total of medals the country won at the Olympic Games in the same edition and in Paris.
However, for the National Department for the Rights of People with Disabilities, Ana Paula Feminella, the population's involvement is different. She attributes this imbalance to the Brazilian media, which “have yet to understand the power of the Paralympics," she said in an interview with the Bem Viver TV show on Tuesday (27).
The department is part of the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship and supports the Sports Ministry in developing paralympic athletes through the Living Without Limits program (Programa Viver Sem Limites, in Portuguese).
“I think there is still a very limited understanding, which is due to the ableism we live in, a culture that doesn't recognize people with disabilities as subjects of rights, as people who are also capable of doing great things,” says Feminella.
“We need the media to value [the Paralympics] even more, give more visibility to it,” said the secretary.
The Paris Paralympic Games begin on Wednesday (28) with the opening ceremony. The Brazilian flag bearers will be Paralympic medalists Beth Gomes, from athletics, and Gabriel Araújo, from swimming.
The competitions begin on Thursday (29), with Brazil participating intensely, represented in para-badminton, paralympic archery, goalball and sitting volleyball.
A total of 279 parathletes will represent Brazil at the Paris Games, making it the largest Brazilian delegation ever to participate in the Paralympics abroad (Brazil hosted the Games in 2016). Paris will also see the largest participation of female parathletes in the history of the Paralympic Games.
Feminella emphasizes women's potential for the Games: “I really believe that women will be the highlight of our Brazilian delegation, which is very qualified,” she says.
She celebrates the paralympic power Brazil represents worldwide, ranking among the top 10 countries in the all-time medal table in recent editions.
However, she recognizes that the country doesn't offer as much accessibility to citizens with disabilities as it could, considering the structure parathletes receive.
“Cities are still hostile territories for most people with disabilities. Those who are in the spotlight at the Paralympics are the people who have had opportunities.”
“But there are millions of people with disabilities, especially in some areas that are more distant from public policies, the most vulnerable areas, such as rural areas, riverside areas, where people are more distant from public facilities,” Feminella points out.
Check out the full interview
What are your expectations of the Paralympic Games?
I really believe that women are going to be the highlight of the Brazilian delegation, which is very qualified. The opportunities that Paralympic athletes have found to take on these leading roles are crucial.
I think it's noteworthy that this is part of a set of actions, which includes inclusive education and investment in the health of people with disabilities.
So, when we talk about Paralympic sports, we're also talking about people who are building their leading roles, and whose lives have been made possible by effective public policies aimed at them.
How has your department been monitoring the parathletes' preparations for the Games?
The Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship coordinates the Living Without Limits program, which combines measures taken by the Ministry of Sports to promote paralympic sports.
So, yes, the Ministry of Human Rights follows the measures, although not in detail. And it also follows other actions that promote and boost the results that Brazil's paralympic athletes achieve.
The paralympic sports actions that we monitor are the actions seen in the paralympic centers, promoting sports in all Brazilian states. We follow these actions and understand that people with disabilities belong everywhere.
Conade [the Brazilian Council for the Rights of People with Disabilities] also monitors these actions by the Ministry of Sports.
What do you think explains Brazil's better performance at the Paralympics than at the Olympics?
I think it's also due to Brazil's public investment in Paralympic sports. Comparing Brazil with other countries, we have, for example, an inclusive education policy that makes it possible for young people, children, to develop into adults with more autonomy, better health and conditions for practicing sports.
But there's also a question of us prioritizing these investments more than many other countries.
At the same time as we have these investments for parathletes, we see cities without the minimum structure to address the needs of people with disabilities. How do we deal with this situation?
I believe that cities are still hostile territories for most people with disabilities. Those who are in the spotlight at the Paralympics are the people who have had opportunities.”
But there are millions of people with disabilities, especially in some areas that are more distant from public policies, the most vulnerable areas, such as rural areas, and riverside areas, where people are more distant from public facilities
We don't want to be segregated from society. We want to have the opportunity to be part of society, be it at school or on our own territory.
For many people with disabilities, going to the streets is still an adventure or a huge challenge, sometimes an impossibility. Whether due to lack of accessibility or lack of opportunities, we still have the worst socio-economic indicators.
So, we still have a very high illiteracy rate compared to people without disabilities.
A lot of parathletes express their dissatisfaction with the fact that they still receive less media coverage than Olympic athletes. Is this a challenge for the government?
I believe that we still have a long way to go for our media to understand the power of the Paralympics. I think there is still a very limited understanding, which is due to the ableism we live in, a culture that doesn't recognize people with disabilities as subjects of rights, as people who are also capable of doing great things.
We need the media to value [the Paralympics] even more, give more visibility to it.
So, think about it: if at the Paralympics, where we have great fighters, people who have managed to overcome huge barriers with great effort, they are still invisible... Let alone people with disabilities who are not athletes, who still struggle to live, to have a job, to have a dignified life.
But I think we're advancing. I think it's been worse [in the past]. I think our country is becoming more and more aware of this visibility.
Edited by: Nathallia Fonseca
