Nachwuchsreporter der PZ in Rio: Der sprachbegabte Paralympics-Liebhaber

Hugo L’Abbate is one of the most friendliest and talkative members of the group, speaking Portuguese, German and English making him a great asset to our team. He is 21years and from the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais where he studies journalism at the catholic university there (PUC). He will be graduating soon and is looking forward to using everything he has learned into practice during the Paralympic Games in Rio 2016. He first found out about the project from his great aunt, a week before the application deadline and decided it could be a perfect opportunity for experience the Paralympics as a journalist and not a spectator. He had been following the Paralympic Games since 2004 and was excited about the prospect of being able to interview some of his Paralympic heroes such as Clodoaldo Silva, a Brazilian swimmer who will be retiring after the Games in Rio. His application featured another hero of his, Natalia Partyka, a Polish table tennis player who is expected to win gold in Rio. Hugo’s portrait on one of his personal idols as well as his passion for sports and his previous journalistic experience meant he was a perfect candidate and was successful. He had recently an internship with O Globo, the Brazilian media partner for the project, responsible for editorial issues and the printing and distributing of the Jornal Paralímpico. He has also worked on the sports journalism website Agência Esportes. Reporting on the Paramypic Games is an issue close to his heart and he wants to use this opportunity to “make the Paralympic Games more widely known to the Brazilian population. Paralympic athletes are elite sportsmen and women and deserve worldwide attention.” He adores travelling and learnt German while spending a semester at the Goethe Institute; he also has family that live there. He enjoys reading, and some of his favourite authors include Tolkin and J.K Rowling. He loves the Beatles as well as Brazilian funk and like many native Brazilians, a huge football fan but a knee injury means he can no longer play competitively. He is particularly looking forward to watching wheelchair basketball as well as his two favourite sports swimming and wheelchair tennis. He was delighted when he found out on the last day of the workshop that he will be reporting on swimming and table tennis and watching his idols, Silva and Partyka go for gold.

Lucy Michaeloudis