Brazil seeking golden performance at Olympics

Host of 2016 Olympics has won 91 medals in nine decades.

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil - Ninety years to win 91 Olympic medals.

That's how many medals Brazil has claimed from the Antwerp Games in Belgium in 1920 through the Beijing Games in 2008. The medal haul, however, falls well short of those belonging to the world's athletic powerhouses, including the United States, which has won a leading 2,549 during that span.

But Brazil, which will host the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, is investing in the search for gold.

Governmental agencies, sports confederations and private business representatives already have started working on a plan to position young athletes to earn a place on the medal stand in six years.

"This is a golden opportunity for us to develop sports in Brazil," said Carlos Arthur Nuzman, president of the Brazilian Olympic Committee, shortly after Rio de Janeiro was chosen to host the 2016 Olympic Games last October.

Brazil is investing in building training facilities for swimming, gymnastics and track and field - sports that offer more numerous events for athletes to earn a medal, as opposed to sports like basketball, which awards just three medals.

That's why the Brazilian Gymnastics Federation recently has opened two state-of-the-art facilities for rhythmic gymnastics for children ranging from 5 to 9 years old, in the cities of Belo Horizonte, in the state of Minas Gerais, and Brusque, in the state of Santa Catarina.

And the Brazilian Athletics Federation has just launched their Olympic Training and Research Center in São Paulo, which specializes in training athletes in the triple and long jumps.

But Brazil's investment doesn't end here. The country also is improving its coaching staff so the nation's athletes get the best training possible before competing against the world's best.

Coach Nélio Moura will work alongside Brazilian Maurren Maggi and Panamanian Irving Saladino at the Olympic Center. Maurren Maggi became Brazil's first female Olympic gold medalist in an individual event when she won the long jump at the Beijing Games, where Irving Saladino's gold medal made him his country's first Olympic champion.

"We are hiring coaches with excellent references, both nationally and internationally," says Roberto Gesta de Melo, president of the Brazilian Athletics Federation. "We have Cuban and Dutch professionals, who together will perform a technical audit to prepare the athletes."

In addition to their salary and sponsorship, young athletes who stand out at international competitions will also earn benefits, as they could make as much as R$2,000 (US$1,142) monthly.

"This is a good way to guarantee provision of the athletes' basic needs," Melo says.

Brazil also is sending its athletes to other countries as part of their training.

Just look at swimmer César Cielo. The 23-year-old attended Auburn University in Alabama, where he competed for the school's swimming team.

When he arrived at the Beijing Games, he became the greatest swimmer in Brazilian history by claiming the country's first gold medal in the sport by winning the 50-meter freestyle. He also won the bronze in the 100-meter freestyle.

He continued his dominance at the FINA World Championships in Rome last year, where he set the world record in the 100 freestyle, in addition to winning gold in the 50 freestyle. A few months later, on Dec. 18, he set the world record in the 50 freestyle with a mark of 20.91 at a meet hosted by his club team, Esporte Clube Pinheiros.

"In order to achieve the Olympic standards, the athlete has to be 110% committed. It is not all about talent," says Ricardo de Moura, swimming coach supervisor at the Brazilian Aquatic Sports Confederation. "We are going to have other athletes like Cielo. We will take advantage of the good phase we are going through."

Moura says Brazil has 60 potential swimmers between the ages of 13 and 18 years who will compete for spots to represent their country in the 2016 Olympics.

Brazil also has high expectations in judo, a sport in which the country has earned 15 Olympic medals, second only to the 16 it has claimed in sailing.

Sarah Menezes, 20, and Rafaela Lopes, 18, won gold medals at the World Junior Judo Championship in Bangkok, Thailand in 2008. Sarah also brought gold back home last year after her performance at the Paris Grand Slam, in France.

Mayra Aguiar, 19, won the gold medal at the 2010 Pan American Judo Championships in El Salvador.

"Our project is geared toward qualifying athletes for competitions in a short term," says Luiz Romariz, coach coordinator of the youth associations at the Brazilian Judo Confederation. "This year it was the first time that the young athletes have ever spent 40 days in Europe with the main team. Together we will go talent hunting."

http://infosurhoy.com

<< back to Company News