The Mato Alto Olympic Village welcomes over 300 athletes to the first PCD Sports Without Limits Festival.
The event promoted inclusion and sports practice for people with disabilities - Gustavo Stephan/ Smel
The Professor Manoel José Gomes Tubino Olympic Village, a facility of the Rio Municipal Sports Secretariat, located in Praça Seca, held the first PCD Sports Without Limits Festival. The event brought together athletes last Tuesday and included students from five units, divided into four sports: athletics, swimming, martial arts, and psychomotor skills.
– This event is very important because it promotes inclusion and helps in the development of athletes from the Olympic Villages. Many are having the opportunity to receive a medal for the first time, and this ends up further sparking interest in the sport – highlighted the Secretary of Sports, Bruno Ramos.
The PCD Sports Without Limits Festival aimed to encourage sports participation among people with disabilities served by the Olympic Villages of the Rio de Janeiro City Hall, as well as to promote integration between students, professionals, and families through the exchange of experiences.
The festival brought together students from five Olympic Villages – Gustavo Stephan / Smel
More than 300 students participated in the GREIP Olympic Villages in Penha, Mato Alto (Praça Seca), Mestre André (Padre Miguel), Dias Gomes (Deodoro) and CIAD Mestre Candeia (Centro). The athletes were grouped by age, gender and abilities.
The event also featured athletes from the Rio Paralympic Team: João Victor Teixeira and Thomaz Moraes, from athletics, and Gustavo Amaral, from weightlifting, who are an inspiration to the young participants. João Victor, bronze medalist in the discus throw at the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games, began his sporting career at the Vila Olímpica do Mato Alto at age 7, competing in the pentathlon as a conventional athlete. At age 14, he developed hemiplegia, which compromised his body movements, and after some time he returned to athletics, but this time in the Paralympic category.
– This village is part of my history. It's where I started, and I still hold some records here today. It's inspiring to be here, to see teachers from my time again, and to serve as an example for young people who are just starting out – said João.
Among the participants, little Samuel Silva, 7 years old, a running and swimming student at the Dias Gomes Olympic Village and diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), celebrated the opportunity to compete.
"I love playing sports, and it was amazing to be able to participate here and win a medal," said Samuel.
Another exciting moment of the festival was the performance of young Aysha Cristine Barbosa, 7 years old, one of the first wheelchair-using ballerinas from the Vila Olímpica do Mato Alto. A student of swimming and ballet, Aysha opened the event with her dance group, captivating the audience, and also participated in the swimming competition.
"The festival is really cool. I loved dancing and being able to swim," she said.
The wheelchair-bound ballerina from the Vila Olímpica do Mato Alto moved the audience – Gustavo Stephan / Smel
The event promoted inclusion and sports practice for people with disabilities - Gustavo Stephan/ Smel 
