Seven countries maintain houses of hospitality at the Paralympics

With great public demand during the Rio Olympic Games 2016, Switzerland's House of Hospitality, nicknamed Baixo Suiza by the cariocas, received more than 160 thousand visitors from 1st to 20 of August. Installed in an area of 4,1 thousand square meters on the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas baseball field, in the south zone of Rio de Janeiro, the Lower Switzerland is one of the seven foreign houses that remain in operation for the period of the Paralympic Games, that start on the day 7 of September.

With daily queues for the many free attractions, like the synthetic ice skating rink, the giant snow globe and the typical swiss train with virtual reality glasses, the House of Switzerland reopens this Wednesday (24.08), at an alternative time and with fewer attractions, and it will be fully functional again, from 11 am to 11 pm, during the Paralympics.

In between 24 of August and 6 of September, the Switzerland space will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. from wednesday to friday, will work from 17:00 to 23:00; and saturday and sunday, from 11 am to 11 pm. During the period, synthetic ice skating, the snow globe, the rotating gondola and virtual reality simulator on the Swiss train will be closed. From day 7 from september to the day 18, Baixo Suiça is open daily from 11am to 11pm with all the attractions.

In the gastronomic part, the highlight is the Swiss barbecue made on the special Feuerring grill, led by chef Chris Zueger. During the Olympics, the house received 950 people per day for tastings, highlighting the Swiss sausage with bread and mustard and the Swiss cheese with potatoes, pickles and onion.

The Swiss Presence Ambassador, Nicolas Bideau, said that the Swiss learned a lot from the cariocas in the first edition of the house, during the World Cup 2014, and bets that the edition of Baixo Suisse 2016 “will remain in the memory of all visitors”.

Italy

Casa da Itália will have a new location during the Paralympics, a church in the neighborhood of Recreio, on the west coast, the result of a partnership between the Italian Olympic Committee, o Vatican and Diocese do Rio. The new address will be officially announced this week by the committee. During the Olympics, the space worked at the Costa Brava Club, in Joá, area on, and offered guests attractions such as 360º screens with images of tourist spots in Italy, typical country food with Brazilian spice, among others.

Access to Casa da Itália was made through prior registration on the internet, but it is not yet defined whether in the Paralympics the model will be the same.

Beyond the Hospitality House, durante a Olimpíada a Itália montou um escritório para atender a eventuais ocorrências envolvendo seus cidadãos. O assessor consular de Cooperação Judiciária da Embaixada da Itália no Brasil, Pasquale Matafora, disse que talvez não seja necessário instalar o posto nos Jogos Paralímpicos, já que o número de visitantes deve ser menor e o consulado poderá resolver as demandas.

Matafora disse estar maravilhado com a forma da Olimpíada do Rio. “Foi um exemplo de superação. A atmosfera estava muito bonita, a cidade recepcionou com carinho todos os visitantes”. Segundo ele, o brasileiro, “quando tem que fazer festa, é imbatível”.

Colômbia

Com público total de cerca de 70 mil visitantes, a Casa Colômbia, no Centro Cultural do Ministério da Saúde, na Praça XV, centro do Rio de Janeiro, retoma as atrações no dia 7 de setembro e seguirá aberta até o fim dos Jogos, in day 18.

O espaço receberá atletas paralímpicos colombianos que conquistarem medalhas e oferecerá ao público degustação permanente de café do país, considerado um dos melhores do mundo, além de apresentações de música típica.

Também serão mantidos na temporada paralímpica da Casa Colômbia a exposição interativa do Museu do Ouro e a mostra de peças do artesanato colombiano, com destaque para louças e cestaria, além de produtos colombianos comercializados para o Brasil.

Pyeong Chang

Nos quiosques QL03 e QL04, na Avenida Atlântica, on Copacabana Beach, at the helm, the South Korean county of Pyeong Chang, which will host the next Winter Olympic Games, will offer the public during the Paralympics the opportunity to experience winter sports with the aid of virtual reality glasses.

on the outside stage, just like the Olympics, there will be typical Korean food tasting and K-POP performances (korean pop music), classical music and taekwondo, in addition to break dancing (Street dance). The house will work until the day 18 of September.

Great Britain

The British House or British House intends to be a second home for the British who come to watch the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. No local, Paralympic athletes' victories will be celebrated and visitors will be shown what the country and the city of London offer in terms of business possibilities, culture, sport.

At the Paralympics, the British House leaves Parque Lage, in the Botanical Garden, and starts operating at Shopping Metropolitano, in Barra da Tijuca, two kilometers from the Olympic Park. Of 7 a 18 of September, the space will open from 9am to 10pm. As entry will be limited, it is necessary to register on the official website of the British House and receive an invitation.

Interactive events will showcase London as a world leader and potential partner city in sectors such as innovation and technology, culture and creativity, financial and professional services, organization of large events, among others.

Germany

Germany's themed house at the Rio Games 2016, called OliAle – Germany on the Beach, will remain installed on the border of the beaches of Ipanema and Leblon, next to the Jardim de Alah channel, with the objective of being a meeting point for Brazilians and tourists of all origins who want to know a little more about German culture and hospitality. At the Paralympics, Germany is the only country authorized by the city of Rio de Janeiro to have a pavilion installed on the waterfront.

After the public success recorded at the Olympics – more than 70 thousand visitors until last sunday (21), the house reopens in the days 26, 27 e 28 of August, from 11am to 6pm. After that, reopens of the day 7 from september to the day 11 and again enter 15 a 18 of September, from 2:30 pm to 9:30 pm. in the olympic version, the day with the biggest crowd was the men's football final between Brazil and Germany, which ended with victory and a gold medal for the Brazilian team.

Sponsored by the General Consulate of Germany and the Brazil-Germany Chamber of Commerce Rio de Janeiro, the OliAle project will leave Pulsar as a legacy for the city, permanent training program for professionals who train athletes with disabilities. Released in March of this year, Pulsar will form the first group during the Paralympics.

With the maintenance of the hospitality house, it will be the first time that Germany will have a venue open to the public during an edition of the Paralympic Games. A programação diária do pavilhão OliAle pode ser consultada pelo Facebook, na página http://fb.me/consuladogeralalemaonorio.

Japan

A Casa do Japão na Paralimpíada Rio 2016 seguirá instalada na Cidade das Artes de 7 a 18 of September, e funcionará das 12h às 20h, com visitação gratuita. A exceção será o dia 17 of September, quando o espaço estará fechado, reservado para evento com convidados.

A casa promove a capital do Japão, Tóquio, sede dos próximos Jogos Olímpicos e Paralímpicos, in 2020, com exposição da logomarca, do novo Estádio Olímpico Nacional e do conceito pensado para o megaevento.

Segundo os organizadores do espaço, a tradicional hospitalidade japonesa poderá ser comprovada por todos que forem ao local. A lista de atrações inclui culinária japonesa, 8K video experience, cultural traditions and tourist information.

In the space dedicated to the Tokyo City Government, an interactive exhibition based on the Water City theme showcases the ever-evolving Japanese capital.

In an interactive area of ​​the house, the public can experience Japanese culture, with tea ceremony demonstrations and yo yo fishing (line fishing), very popular in festivals in Japan, beyond the yukata (japanese summer clothing) e o shodo (japanese calligraphy art).

Source: Brazil Agency