Alan Oliveira, the Brazilian gold medal-winning 200m runner at the London Paralympic Games, will visit Stockport on Friday 24th May.
Stockport Council, together with Alan Oliveira’s interpreter Mauro Beca, have organised several events with Alan at Aquinas College.
Over 150 pupils, aged from five to 18 years, from 27 schools, special schools and colleges throughout the borough will have the chance to run with the Paralympic star!
Judith Riddings, the Council’s Schools Sport Partnership Development Manager, is running a variety of different athletics sessions on the day and also ‘An Audience with Alan’ in the College lecture theatre where pupils can ask questions. Each participating school will receive a certificate signed by Alan Oliveira.
Born in 1992, Alan Oliveira had both legs amputated after just 21 days following an infection. By the age of eight, he was competing in athletics by running with wooden prostheses. He started competing in races in Brazil at age of 13, and began running on carbon-fibre blades two years later shortly before competing in his first Paralympics in Beijing. At the 2012 London Paralympic Games, he won gold in the exciting T44 200m final.
Alan Oliveira takes part in the Great City Games in Manchester on May 25th competing against Great Britain’s 100m Paralympic champion Jonnie Peacock in a 150m race.
Councillor Shan Alexander, Executive Member for Lifelong Learning and Achievement, said:
“We are absolutely delighted that Alan Oliveira will be visiting Stockport to engage pupils with disability sport. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for young people to meet a world rated Paralympic hero who is an inspiration to everyone.”
Councillor John Pantall, Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing, added:
“Alan Oliveira is proof that having a disability has not stopped the young man from achieving greatness on the sporting world stage. I hope that his hard work and talent will rub off on people he engages with during his time in Greater Manchester.”