Known as 'the shark?, Brazilian swimmer Clodoalvo Silva arrived in England together with the national delegation and spent their acclimatisation period in the city of Manchester. The biggest Brazilian parasport medallist, with 13 podiums and who will compete in four events in the 2012 Games, intensified the preparation for this fourth Paralympics. "For the first time the preparation structure was a milestone. Not just me, but the whole delegation approved the structure. We?re all going to perform our roles, be it winning medals or whatever the result may be", pointed out Clodoaldo.   

Like Clodoaldo, for the first time in the history of Paralympic sport, Brazilian athletes went through an acclimatisation period before the Games. The action was enabled by a partnership agreement signed between the Ministry of Sport and the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB), who put up over 200 members of the team, among competitors and technical staff, in the city of Manchester, in England's North West.

In Great Britain, the athletes had the opportunity to adapt to the climate and different time zone, thus, avoiding jet lag. The athletes also took part in friendly competitions with other countries, reinforcing the preparation for the Paralympics. In the last edition in Beijing 2008, only the swimming and athletics teams went through an acclimatisation period.

"The federal government insists that all investments made in Olympic sport also be extended to Paralympic sports. This has allowed for the very fast development of adapted sport in Brazil. The segment has given a quick response to this investment and the government has assessed that all sports have evolved", said Ricardo Leyser, National Secretary of High Performance Sport of the Ministry of Sport.  

The President of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB) Andrew Parsons, explains why they chose the British city. "Manchester was chosen not only because of its high quality sport facilities, but also for a set of complementary services essential to an acclimatisation process."

From the 18 events the country will compete in at the London Games, sixteen teams travelled earlier to finalise their preparation abroad. The athletics, wheelchair basketball, bowls, cycling, wheelchair fencing, 5-a-side football, 7-a-side football, goalball, weight lifting, judo, swimming, rowing, wheelchair tennis, table tennis and sitting volleyball teams went to Manchester for the acclimatisation period. The equestrian team spent some of its acclimatisation period in France and another in Bishop Burton in the UK. Adapted sailing and shooting went straight to the Paralympic Vila.