Sport, inclusion, and overcoming
The practice of sports is easily associated with improved quality of life due to its numerous health benefits. Increasingly, it is also a powerful tool for inclusion, as it encourages people to deal with challenges and demonstrate their power to overcome, regardless of gender, race, or disability.
The support of society and the availability of structures that allow anyone to enter the sport are also essential factors. In the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021, for example, Brazil broke records for medals won in a single edition, proving that the more opportunities and incentives are given to athletes through improvements in training, study, and development conditions, the better the results will be.
And among the talents on our team, we also have athletes! This is the case of Isabel Coelho, a human resources technician who, besides weight training, is a runner in her free time. She started in this sport on her own and later joined a team where she trains together for races. Despite her intense routine of work and studies, Isabel says she always tries to find time to do her long-distance workouts and muscle strengthening. "To keep the gym, physical therapy, and diet control in your routine requires much more than willpower: to achieve results you need a good dose of discipline and commitment," she reflects.
The will to overcome her limits is Isabel’s fuel to overcome difficulties. “The most remarkable race I ran was the Cambotas Marathon, in December 2021, in the city of Barão de Cocais (MG). The goal was to run 45 kilometers in 8 hours to avoid being disqualified, and I managed to finish in 7 hours and 52 minutes! The course was a real adventure: we passed by rivers, waterfalls, climbed and climbed more than 3,000 meters in the rain. Unforgettable!”, she recalls.
Knowing stories like this inspires us and shows us that it is possible to focus on the potential of each person on our team, fighting against capacitating ideas and breaking prejudices. We must all promote respect for people and inclusion.
