Photo Source: CONCRC (Costa Rica National Olympic Committee)

The 2016 Summer Paralympics games will  kick off in Rio de Janeiro September 7^th and will extend through September 18^th.  Costa Rica will be represented by three athletes that will compete in different categories:

Swimmer Camila Haase who will participate in three competitions September 14, 15 and 16.

Cyclist Leonel Solis scheduled to compete September 14 and 17

And wheelchair marathon runner José Jiménez in athletics September 18

Paralympic torch relay kicks off in Brazil

Brasilia, Sep 1 (EFE).- The torch relay for the 2016 Summer Paralympics, an event in Rio de Janeiro that will bring together more than 4,000 athletes from 163 countries, began its journey around Brazil on Thursday.

The trek began in this capital, which is finally recovering a semblance of normality after several weeks of tension surrounding the impeachment trial in the Senate of suspended President Dilma Rousseff, who was voted out of office on Wednesday.

Physical education teacher Ulisses Araujo, a pioneer in Brazil in the training of athletes with disabilities, lit the flame before it was carried around Brasilia.

Before arriving in Rio de Janeiro, a total of 745 torchbearers will carry the flame inside the cities of Belem, Natal, Sao Paulo and Joinville, a journey that will cover a distance of 250 kilometers (155 miles).

Michel Temer, who was sworn in as Brazil’s new president after Rousseff’s definitive ouster, received the flame in a ceremony last week.

Temer, who has already confirmed his participation in the Paralympic Games’ opening ceremony, moved up that torch-reception event due to his plans to travel to China for the G-20 Summit, which will take place on Sunday and Monday in Hangzhou.

Temer departed for that gathering on Wednesday.

The athletes, meanwhile, have begun arriving in Rio de Janeiro, a city where different infrastructure projects have been carried out in recent years to facilitate the mobility of the Paralympic Games’ participants.

A total of 1 million tickets have been sold thus far for the Paralympic Games, whose opening ceremony is scheduled for Sept. 7.

EFE