“Time to focus on engaging the Rio public”, IPC tell Rio 2016

Following the conclusion of the penultimate Rio 2016 project review on Thursday (25 February), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said it is happy with preparations for September’s Paralympics and urged the Organising Committee to spend the final six months fully engaging the Brazilian public in the Games.

During three days of meetings (23-25 February), the Organising Committee updated the IPC delegation on every functional area that is involved in delivering the biggest Paralympic Games to date.

Around 4,350 athletes from over 170 countries are set to compete in 22 sports at the Rio 2016 Paralympics which will take place between 7-18 September.

Xavier Gonzalez, the IPC’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are happy with the progress made by the Organising Committee since our last meeting, especially in light of the measures they have taken to balance their budget.

“With six months to go fast approaching, it is now time to focus on fully engaging the Rio and Brazilian public in the Paralympic Games. The Carioca need to understand the great value of this event, especially with two million tickets costing just 10 Reals.

“The Paralympics in Rio will be the peoples’ Games, an event where the whole family can come together and enjoy great sport and a unique and unmissable experience. With the Brazilian team targeting a top five finish, this is the public’s opportunity to come together and celebrate everything that is good about sport, society and Brazil.”