Brazil Police Probe Wheelchair-Bound Brazil Fans Standing At World Cup

#WorldCup fans who appeared to jump out of their wheelchairs investigated for ticket fraud http://t.co/f9BivqOtRR pic.twitter.com/whKoA5ULwM

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) June 20, 2014

 

 

Lots of people have advocated for the restorative power of exercise, but how about the healing abilities of merely watching sport?

 

For some Brazilian soccer fans, attending World Cup matches appears to have eliminated their need for wheelchairs — or, more likely, according to police in Brazil, they’ve been revealed as frauds. Police are investigating fans who allegedly bought tickets on the black market and tried to cover their tracks by accessing the stadium in wheelchairs, according to the Telegraph, a U.K. daily newspaper.

 

The police are examining the behavior of a group of Brazil fans who during the opening match in Sao Paolo on June 12 appeared to jump out of their seats in excitement — certainly not uncommon at a soccer stadium.

 

Here’s the catch: CCTV images and photos shared on social media show ostensibly wheelchair-bound attendees appearing to have little trouble standing up and actively rooting during the match.

According to the Telegraph, many of the tickets for disabled people have been passed on by touts to fans willing to feign handicaps to gain stadium access.

If true, this would be an appalling thing to do just to get into a soccer game without being noticed, they are taking away designated seats for disabled, so if someone who actually is disabled wanted to sit there, they are not able to because of these cheats.

This is certainly not the first time this has occurred at a sporting event, but since it is the world cup, it is receiving more attention than any other occasion. This is good for disability awareness and it ties into people taking advantage of designated disability seats and other forms of designated disability spaces

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