Camila Haase

Started: She first tried swimming at age three in Costa Rica. (Athlete, 03 Dec 2017) Reason: Her mother, a former swimmer, wanted Camila and her sister to learn how to swim. "My sister is three years older and I wanted to do everything she did. At age six she was already competing and I wanted to do it as well. I also liked other sports. I also practised athletics and football but I focused on swimming in order to avoid injuries." (humboldt.ed.cr, 24 Aug 2021; Athlete, 03 Dec 2017) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (delfino.cr, 06 Dec 2023) Milestones: Her appearance at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro made her the first female Costa Rican athlete in any sport to have competed at the Paralympic Games. (SportsDeskOnline, 04 Dec 2017; mariosegura.com, 21 Jul 2016) Awards: She was flag bearer for Costa Rica at the opening ceremony of the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (Instagram profile, 27 Aug 2021; humboldt.ed.cr, 24 Aug 2021) She lit the cauldron at the opening ceremony of the 2018 National Games in Costa Rica. (paralympic.org, 04 Jul 2018) She was flag bearer for Costa Rica at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Para Central American Games in Managua, Nicaragua. (concrc.org, 24 Jan 2018) In 2017 she received the Colibri [Hummingbird] Award as the Best Para Swimmer in Costa Rica . (elguardian.cr, 14 Feb 2018) Additional Info: OTHER ROLES She has been involved in promoting sport for people with an impairment through the Proud Paralympian programme. The scheme is run by the Agitos Foundation. "I hope that through the programme, the athletes can learn a little more about themselves and reach each goal that they have set. And that they can be the best they can be." (panamsports.org, 28 Feb 2019; paralympic.org, 13 Nov 2018)