(ATR) International Paralympic Committee president Phil Craven tells Around the Rings the Sao Paulo Paralympic Training Center is a "blueprint" for para-sport legacy.
The center was commissioned in 2013 and will provide a training facility for 14 Paralympic sports. Funding for the project came from the Brazilian Ministry of Sport, with the aim of being a legacy from hosting the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics.
"Flying over the training center into Sao Paulo airport I was amazed by the sheer size and scale of the facility," Craven toldATR.
"It leaves me full of excitement as it is a venue that can benefit the whole of the Paralympic Movement in Latin America."
Craven traveled to Sao Paulo as part of his 10-day trip to Brazil for the one-year-to-go celebrations for the 2016 Paralympics and the chef de missions meeting.
"The governor of Sao Paulo deserves huge credit for this facility which can act as a blueprint for other countries around the world," Craven said.
"The training center is Sao Paulo is simply world-class and will not only benefit the Brazilian team ahead of Rio 2016 and but for many Games ahead. It is an outstanding facility built with accessibility, sustainability and, most importantly, sport in mind."
Brazilian Paralympic president Andrew Parsons says the center is just as good if not better than similar venues worldwide.
"It is a Paralympic center for many different sports, an extraordinary investment," Parsons toldATR.
"When you see the greatness, the attention to every single detail in here, the environment the athletes will find here, you see that you can compare this centre with the top centers in the world."
Brazilian para-athlete Daniel Dias called the center a "dream come true" for para-athletes in the country."It is unbelievable the efforts put on the construction of it," Dias told ATR.
"Now it is up to us, athletes, to justify the investments of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee and Federal and State Government."
Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro
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