Sir Philip Craven visited Brazil's Paralympic Centre in Sao Paulo ©CPB

Sir Philip Craven, the President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), has visited Brazil's new Para-sport training centre in São Paulo.

It is hoped that the state-of-the-art facility will form part of the legacy left behind by the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games next summer, and Sir Philip was left impressed with what he saw.

Also visiting was Andrew Parsons, the IPC Vice President and President of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee, and both men were awarded with the Ordem do Ipiranga from the Governor of São Paulo, Geraldo Alckmin.

The award is one of the highest orders of the city.

Athletes from São Paulo state were also honoured for their performances at the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games last month, where they contributed significantly to Brazil’s first-place finish in the medals table.

"We are here in the city that produced the most medallists for Brazil in Toronto,” Sir Philip said.

President of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee Andrew Parsons also visited the Centre
President of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee Andrew Parsons also visited the Centre ©Getty Images

"Paralympic sport has to be handled in the best possible way, and that's how it is being treated here.

"The facilities are absolutely fantastic.”

Parsons added: "It's a place where athletes can train in 15 Paralympic sports, an extraordinary investment.

“When you see the grandiosity, the attention to detail given to every corner of this centre, the environment we have created for athletes that are here, we see that we can compare it to the best facilities on the planet.

"I can say that the Brazilian Paralympic Centre is comparable to the best centres in the world.”

The Brazilian Paralympic Centre is 97.5 per cent complete.

The site will have capacity for up to 282 athletes training simultaneously in athletics, wheelchair basketball, boccia, swimming, wheelchair fencing, 5-a-side football, 7-a-side football, goalball, powerlifting, judo, wheelchair rugby, table tennis, wheelchair tennis, triathlon and sitting volleyball.



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