Brazil goes nuts for Manchester

Manchester is fast becoming a top international attraction ahead of London 2012 with the Brazilian Paralympic team heading to the city to train for the next Paralympic Games to be held in the capital.

The news, which coincides with the 2 year countdown to the world's biggest Paralympic sporting event, follows the announcement that the Swimming Australia Olympic team will use the state-of the-art facilities at Manchester Aquatics Centre to prepare for the Games.

The announcement from Brazil is a particular coup for Manchester, as the team is hoping to put in a convincing medal-winning performance at London 2012 before they host the tournament themselves in 2016.

Chris Holmes, London 2012 Director of Paralympic Integration said: "On 29 August it will be exactly two years to go until the start of the 2012 Paralympic Games and we want everyone to start planning their once in a lifetime experience. The Brazil National Paralympic Committee is clearly well advanced with its plans with the agreement today to train the team in Manchester's superb facilities prior to competition.  Whether it's buying a ticket, becoming a volunteer, being part of our education or culture programmes - there are hundreds of ways to get involved in the London 2012 Games and I look forward to hearing more about the community involvement plans surrounding the Brazilian NPC's stay in Manchester. "

Councillor Mike Amesbury, Manchester City Council's executive member for culture and leisure said: "Manchester is ahead of the field when it comes to attracting teams to the city to train for the Olympics and Paralympics in two years. With sports bodies such as British Cycling, England Squash, England Federation of Disability Sports and England Athletics northwest all based here, we have a strong international presence within the sporting arena and our exceptional facilities are world-renowned. By attracting high profile teams into Manchester we are only strengthening our position as a world-class sporting city."

Sheldon Phillips, Head of Regional Major Events at the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), said: "Brazil is one of the largest Paralympic teams to compete at London 2012, so to have the team training here in Manchester is very prestigious. England's Northwest has seen major success so far when it comes to attracting world-class teams to train in our outstanding facilities ahead of the Games. This latest agreement not only helps to build on this success, but is testament to the Northwest's strong reputation for championing, developing and showcasing Paralympic sport."

Beijing 2008 was the Brazilian Paralympic team's most successful display to date finishing in the top ten with 47 medals. Swimmers Daniel Dias and Andre Brasil were the leading medalists with five gold, four silver and one bronze medal between them, while Ricardo Alves formed part of Brazil's Gold medal-winning blind football team.

The Brazilian Paralympic team's training camp will take place over nine days in August 2012, with around 170 athletes and 80 staff making use of facilities at Sportcity including the athletics track, gym, national squash centre and national tennis centre.

The deal to bring Brazil to Manchester has been secured by Manchester City Council, and supported by the Northwest Regional Development Agency, Marketing Manchester, Manchester Sport and Leisure Trust and Sportcity.

Andrew Stokes, chief executive at Marketing Manchester, said:  "It's fantastic news that the Brazilian Paralympic team has selected Manchester as their training camp.  Manchester is a significant international sporting city and it is currently working hard to build strong civic relationships with Brazil.  City leaders from Rio de Janeiro and Manchester have already met to discuss opportunities within business, culture and sport. In addition to this, we're particularly keen to use Soccerex - the international forum for the business of football - as a platform for this activity. 
 
In the run up to Brazil hosting the 2014 World Cup, Manchester hosts the annual Soccerex European Forum, whilst Rio de Janeiro is hosting the annual Soccerex Global Convention.  This kind of event presents the perfect opportunity to strengthen Manchester's position as the home of football, whilst the opportunities for trade and collaboration between Manchester and Brazil will present us with an exciting future."