Sport as a tool for human development

The sport occupies a strategic role in the development of Ponta Grossa, contributing to health, education, social inclusion, citizen training and the occupation of public spaces. Through the Municipal Secretariat of Sports (SMESP), the Municipality develops public policies that reach people of different ages, from children in sports initiation to the elderly in search of more health and quality of life, in addition to athletes, paraathletes, students and families from all regions of the city with its various programs and projects.

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Quality of life

Through the Quality of Life project, the Municipal Secretariat of Sports offers hydrogymnastics, bodybuilding, functional training, biodance and pilates, serving from young people from 16 years to people over 60 years. The actions are mainly carried out in the Arena Multiuso and also reach spaces such as the gyms Oscar Pereira, CIE Sabará, Jamal Farjallah Bazzi, in addition to the CEU and the Residents Association of the Monteiro Lobato.

More than providing the practice of physical exercises, the work developed seeks to promote health, well-being and changes in habits. The participants of bodybuilding and functional training undergo physical evaluations, which allow them to follow the individual evolution and guide the activities according to the needs of each person. The Municipal academy was inaugurated in August 2025 and has just completed a year of operation, counting more than five thousand monthly attendances.

With a team made up of Physical Education professionals, SMESP strengthens this service and works to bring physical activities to the Ponta Grossa community.

Base sport

The Base Sport project serves children and adolescents between 7 and 17 years old in different sports spaces of Ponta Grossa. To participate, students must be enrolled and regularly attending an educational institution, strengthening the relationship between education and sports practice.

Men's and women's collective and individual modalities are offered, such as swimming, football, society football, futsal, volleyball, basketball, table tennis, beach volleyball, handball, judo and taekwondo. The activities provide learning and sports experience, stimulating integration, discipline, respect and social interaction.

In addition to contributing to the citizen formation and to the physical and social development of the participants, the project identifies talents who can represent Ponta Grossa in competitions of different modalities. In this way, Base Sport broadens the access of children and adolescents to the sport and helps to build new perspectives for the future.

Competitions and events organized by SMESP

The SMESP organizes a wide calendar of competitions that moves different audiences and modalities throughout the year. Among the main events are the Municipal Jogos Estudantis (JEM), the Jogos Estudantis Municipal Schools (JEEM), the Municipal Student Championship (CEM), the Copa Paradesportiva, the Municipal Volleyball Championship, the Copa PG Futsal, the Copinha Base PG, the Professor Antonio José France Satyro Cup — Ponta Grossa Field Soccer World Cup, the Copa PG for Deaf Futsal, 60+ Games and the Ponta Grossa City Race.

With approximately 140 educational institutions and more than 8,000 participating students, the Municipal Jogos Estudantis occupies a prominent place in this calendar. JEM promotes the integration between students from public and private networks, encourages the practice of different modalities and strengthens values such as respect, cooperation and team spirit. From 2026, the competition also counted on the JEM of the parents, bringing families closer to the sporting environment and expanding the participation of the school community.

Another highlight is the City Race of Ponta Grossa, which integrates the annual sports calendar of the municipality and brings together approximately 1,500 athletes. In addition to encouraging running and walking, the event occupies urban spaces, stimulates healthy habits and brings together participants of different ages, consolidating itself as one of the main sports celebrations of the city.

In addition to these competitions, SMESP also organizes and promotes Municipal Circuits that are held in partnership with Ponta Grossa leagues, associations and sports entities, through Technical Cooperation Agreements (ACTs). The initiative strengthens sport initiation, broadens community participation and encourages the development of modalities such as 3x3 basketball, capoeira, cycling, judo, karate, mini-handball, mountain biking, swimming, taekwondo, table tennis, field tennis, beach volleyball and chess. Integrated into the sports calendar of the municipality, the circuits bring together more than 4,000 athletes and distribute approximately 4,000 medals, promoting competition, coexistence and social integration, as well as contributing to the continuity and enhancement of the local sport.

In 2026, Ponta Grossa once again hosted major sporting events, such as the regional phase of the Paraná School Games (JEPs), the fase macrorregional Youth Games of the Paraná (JOJUPs) and the Encounter of Legends. This last event gathered about 2,500 people at the Oscar Pereira Gymnasium for a festive futsal match with the participation of Falcão, considered the greatest player in the history of the sport. In addition to providing a significant moment for local sport, this initiative raised approximately two tons of food, combining sport, entertainment and solidarity.

The Silver House Program

Executed by the Municipal Secretariat of Sports, the Silver of the House Program offers financial support to athletes and para-athletes from the age of 12 who have a link with Ponta Grossa and stand out in official competitions. The scholarships help in the continuity of training, in the registration in competitions and in the acquisition of sports materials, offering better conditions for local talents to represent the municipality in state, national and international disputes.

In 2026, the program includes 480 athletes and para-athletes, with an investment of R$ 1.6 million — the largest budget and the largest number of beneficiaries in its history. In addition to encouraging sports training and improvement, Prata da Casa strengthens high-performance teams, expands Ponta Grossa’s presence in the sports scene and contributes to its athletes staying and developing their careers in the city.

The program also includes the Silver Technical Scholarship of the House, intended for professionals responsible for the preparation and monitoring of the teams that represent Ponta Grossa in official competitions. The benefit reaches technicians of the modalities contested in the Youth Games of the Paraná (JOJUPs), in the Open Games of the Paraná (JAPs) and in the Paraná Combate, strengthening the planning, the quality of the trainings and the performance of the municipal teams.

Established by Lei Municipal no 15.768/2026, the Silver of the House Program consolidates the incentive to athletes, para-athletes and technicians as a public policy of valuation of the sport of the state of Grosseto.

Institutional partnerships - ACTs

The Technical Cooperation Agreements (TCAs) strengthen the work of the Municipal Sports Secretariat by establishing partnerships with institutions and organizations that also develop projects aimed at sport, health and inclusion. Through this cooperation, it is possible to share spaces, knowledge and structures, expanding the service to the population and bringing activities to different regions and publics of the city.

These partnerships also bring the public power closer to the community and allow projects to be developed in an integrated way, with well-defined objectives, responsibilities and forms of follow-up. In this way, the ACTs contribute to broadening access to sport and enhance the results of public policies promoted by SMESP.

Avenida Central

Conducted monthly, the Avenida Central project transforms the main streets of Ponta Grossa into spaces for sport, leisure and coexistence. In a route of approximately three kilometers, the population can practice running, walking, cycling, skating, skateboarding and using tricycles, in addition to participating with other means of non-motorized travel.

The initiative has the partnership of traffic agents, responsible for guiding the flow of vehicles and pedestrians, while teachers and interns of SMESP follow the sports activities and contribute to the safety of the participants. During the course, a hydration point is also available, with free water distribution.

By encouraging healthy habits and the occupation of public spaces, Avenida Central brings the community closer, promotes different forms of mobility and strengthens the relationship of the population with the city.

Parks and squares

The Parks and Squares project offers free sports and recreational activities in the public spaces of Ponta Grossa during weekends and holidays. Aimed at children, young people, adults and the elderly, the initiative brings together options such as trampoline, inflatable toys, minivolleyball, minifutsal, table tennis, frescoball, board games and giant games. By occupying parks and squares with sport and leisure, the project encourages community coexistence, the practice of physical activities and the use of public spaces by the population.

Parasport

The SMESP Parasport project offers a wide variety of activities aimed at people with disabilities, bringing together collective and individual modalities such as wheelchair basketball, goalball, table tennis, futsal, Paralympic bowling, golf-7, taekwondo, judo, karate, and chess. The actions serve approximately 400 participants, distributed between the Paralympic School, EsporTEA and the partner institutions.

In addition to regular activities, the project promotes festivals, championships, workshops and recreational actions that expand the visibility of parasport, providing opportunities for coexistence, learning and competition. The work also involves families, educators and the community, strengthening awareness about accessibility, respect and inclusion. The activities take place in the Ginásio Jamal Farjallah Bazzi and in the institutions that maintain technical cooperation agreements with the Municipality (ACT).

Among the partner entities are the Association of Parents and Friends of the Visually Impaired (APADEVI), the Pontagrossense Association of Emancipation for the Disabled (APEDEF), the Association of the Deaf of Ponta Grossa (ASPG), the Association of Parents and Friends of the Exceptional (APAE), the Association of Protection of Autists (APROAUT) and the Association of the Deaf This joint action allows to develop the sport among the users of the institutions and form teams to represent Ponta Grossa in official competitions. More than expanding access to sports practice, the project contributes to physical and mental health, autonomy, self-esteem and social integration of people with disabilities, making sport an important tool for inclusion and transformation.

Swimming with Daniel Dias

The project Swimming with Daniel Dias is developed in Ponta Grossa through a partnership between the Institute Daniel Dias (IDD) and the Municipal Sports Secretariat. The initiative offers free swimming for children and adolescents with disabilities, between 7 and 17 years old, seeking to develop their skills and prepare them for participation in national and international competitions.

The activities are attended by 80 participants, divided between the Arena Multiuso and the Centre for Living Together (CECON). Of the total vacancies, 60% are intended for students enrolled in public educational institutions and 40% for students from the private network, contributing to democratize access to sport.

The project also has two annual visits by Daniel Dias to Ponta Grossa, enabling the largest Brazilian Paralympic athlete to closely follow the development of the activities and share his experience with the participants. The partnership strengthens parasport in the municipality and uses swimming as an instrument of inclusion, autonomy, sports development and social transformation.

Communications

The Municipal Sports Secretariat has a communication team responsible for disseminating and updating, in real time, the sports activities carried out or related to SMESP. Together, the Secretariat’s social networks on Facebook and Instagram gather more than 30,000 followers and reach approximately 1.5 million monthly views, expanding the population’s access to information about projects, competitions and sporting events.

SMESP also maintains an official website, on which news, schedules, results, documents and information on registrations are available. In addition, the team produces releases on the sporting events promoted in the city, contributing to the press and strengthening the presence of sport in the daily life of Ponta Grossa.

This work brings the Secretariat closer to the community, expands the transparency of public actions and allows more people to know and participate in the sports opportunities offered by the municipality.

Physical Spaces

The Municipal Secretariat of Sports has a wide structure for the development of projects, classes, competitions and events. Among the main sports equipment are the Oscar Pereira Gymnasium, in which also hosts the administrative part of SMESP, the Arena Multiuso, the Ginásio Jamal Farjallah Bazzi, the Zukão Gymnasium and the CIE Sabará, which receive daily athletes, students and the community in different activities.

The municipal public of Ponta also has eight mini gyms located in the neighborhoods of Vila Liane, Santa Monica, Parque Nossa Senhora das Graças, Rio Verde, March 31, Santa Paula, Santa Marta and Parque do Café, expanding and decentralizing the access of the population to the sport. More than places for sports, these public facilities strengthen community coexistence and allow projects and opportunities to come closer to the residents.

The sports structure of the municipality also has 48 society football fields scattered throughout the city, in addition to several multi-sport courts, sand courts and skateboarding. These equipments are distributed in the neighborhoods, in the Parque Ambiental and in the open complex of the Arena Multiuso, expanding the possibilities of sports practice, leisure and coexistence in spaces accessible to the community.