“Never before in the 56-year history of the Paralympic Games have we faced circumstances like this”, said IPC president Sir Philip Craven.
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The RPC officially launched its appeal last week to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), whose ad-hoc Division will deliberate over the case in the Brazilian city.
The other problem is Brazil’s lackluster economy; according to Fortune the poverty stricken country has sunk an estimated 15 billion dollars on infrastructure for the Rio games. But smaller and poorer countries depend on funding from the IPC to send their teams to the games.
“At this point it is hard for us to expect the full venues we saw in Beijing or London, or expect to see in Tokyo in four years’ time”.
Craven added the cuts were “likely to impact almost every stakeholder at the Games” admitting that, at present, there at 10 countries who, even if funding comes through, “may struggle to cover the cost of theta travels to the Games”.
“Currently we have around 10 countries who, even if the grants are paid, may struggle to cover the cost of their travel to the games”, he added.
“Our job is to get out there and do exactly what we’ve been training to do for years”.
Despite the bailout, organisers have been forced to move the wheelchair fencing competition to the main Olympic Park from Deodoro Park, which will be dismantled, with equestrianism, football seven-a-side and shooting reclassified as three stand-alone venues. Rio operations director Xavier Gonzalez said about 300,000 of the 2.4 million tickets had been sold.
Brazil is going through its worst economic crisis since the 1930s and is also in the grip of a political crisis.
Security forces now in place for the Olympics will remain for the Paralympics.
“They have dedicated their lives to reaching these Games and we will do our utmost to try and maintain the service levels and scope that they expect at a Paralympic Games”.
If approved, the support could help bridge the budget shortfall, after a judge overturned an injunction blocking the use of new public funds for the Games.
But despite the united front in Rio, the unmistakable feeling from all this is that the Paralympics will be taking a backwards step after the progress of recent Games, particularly in London, which saw packed houses, great sport and a new perception of what people with physical impairments can do. He will compete in the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
“This is the number one priority for the organisation of the Games”, said Craven.
“On Thursday we had a meeting with the interim President Michel Temer who confirmed his attendance at the Opening Ceremony”. He departed the Olympic Park immediately after his meeting Thursday, citing personal commitments in Sao Paulo.
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“I wouldn’t say we have kept quiet about this but we have respected the situation”.
