Diminished Deodoro Atmosphere for Paralympics

(ATR) The Rio 2016 Deodoro venue cluster at the Paralympics shows clear signs of being downscaled from the Olympics just one month ago.

Only three of the seven venues used during the Olympics are still in use at the Paralympics. The National Equestrian Center, Deodoro Stadium and the National Shooting Center are hosting equestrian events, seven-a-side football and the shooting competitions respectively.

These events do not draw the same level of interest that some of the competitions in Deodoro benefited from during the Olympics. Only seven-a-side football appears to feature crowds at the level of the 2016 Olympics, mostly due to Brazilian love of football. In August, the Deodoro cluster showcased rugby’s return to the Olympics, BMX competition as well as a revamped version of modern pentathlon.

The militarized feeling that pervaded the Deodoro cluster during the Olympics still remains. Both the equestrian and shooting centers are located in a military facility in Deodoro. Several roads near the venues are also closed with a heavy military presence on every street and inside the venues.

On Sep. 13, the equestrian center hosted the first equestrian medal event in these Paralympics in dressage. The very sparse crowd and the massive amount of seating in the venue amplified the feeling that the athletes were competing in front of sparse crowds in a 14,000 seat venue.

However, Australian rider Sharon Jarvis told Around the Rings that any exposure for the sport of para-equestrian is good.

"In Australia we get so little exposure, so anything we get is far bigger than what we get," she tells ATR. "It’s far more atmosphere than what my horse is used to."

Fans still applauded for each athlete when they finished their routine, but cheers seemed to get lost in the large outdoor stadium. There were also a handful of people using wheelchairs in the venue demonstrating that organizers successfully commitment to accessibility. Unfortunately sight lines were partially blocked by the barriers separating the field of play from seating.

Nonetheless, the athletes seemed cheerful after competition, especially dressage winner Ann Lubbe of Norway. She was presented the gold medal by International Equestrian Federation president Ingmar de Vos. Susanne Sunesen of Denmark won silver and Louise Etzner Jakobsson from Sweden took home the bronze.

Only a few photographers and broadcasters were allowed good positions for the medals ceremony – those from Rio 2016 and those with the same nationality as the medalists. The majority of spectators also sat in the shade in the grandstands with the medals ceremony very far away, detaching the celebratory feeling.

While the Deodoro atmosphere is waning at the Paralympics, the Paralympic Park in Barra da Tijuca has welcomed thousands of fans to its cluster of venues each day - even breaking the Olympic record of fans in the park with 170,000 on Sep. 10.

The atmosphere at Deodoro is expected to be better throughout the week when seven-a-side football matches return.

Reported by Kevin Nutley in Rio de Janeiro

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