President Jair Bolsonaro received this Wednesday (6.Oct.2021), at the Planalto Palace, a group of Olympic and Paralympic athletes who participated in the Tokyo Games, held between July and August of this year. The ceremony, which was attended by ministers, parliamentarians and authorities, was a celebration of the best Brazilian participation in the history of the Games, both in the Olympics and in the Paralympics.
In the Olympic Games, the country was in 12th place overall, with 7 golds, 6 silvers and 8 bronzes. In the Paralympic Games, the performance was consolidated with the 7th place overall, with 22 golds, 20 silvers and 30 bronzes.
“None of these results would be possible if it weren’t for the sport incentive program in Brazil. Today, Brazil has one of the largest individual sponsorship programs for high-performance athletes. And it is through these programs, such as Bolsa Atleta, and its branch, Bolsa Pódio, of which I am a part and many here too, that we can dedicate ourselves exclusively to the practice of sports.”, said the Paralympic athlete Maria Carolina Gomes Santiago, during a speech.
In his speech, Bolsonaro spoke of his relationship with sport, which led him to the selection of the Armed Forces for pentathlon, and emphasized the importance of this practice for social development. “There is nothing more than sport to integrate”.
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The president also thanked the efforts of the athletes who represented Brazil at the Games, and spoke of the emotion of seeing the national flag flying on the podium.
“I want to say, finally, to you, that every time there, on the other side of the world, between those three flags, a green and yellow one went up, it was a huge vibration here. Thank you very much to all of you for these moments of satisfaction and joy that you provided to all of us Brazilians”, he stated.
Of the 302 Olympic athletes, 242 received the Bolsa Atleta, which represents about 80% of the delegation. Created in 2005 by the federal government, Bolsa Atleta is considered one of the largest individual sponsorship programs for athletes in the world. In 18 of the 33 modalities that Brazil played in the Japan Games, 100% of the athletes were scholarship holders of the program.
“At least for me, Bolsa Atleta was crucial in these last 5 years, where, after the Rio Olympics, I absolutely lost all the sponsorships I had. Today I’m an Olympic medalist, but I’ve been through some situations where on a Sunday you’re swimming in an Olympic final, and on a Monday you don’t have anything coming. So, Bolsa Atleta is what holds us back in these moments too. And it gives you peace of mind, because you know it’s there for you. You have the support of the federal government of Brazil helping you“, stated swimmer Bruno Fratus, bronze medalist in Tokyo, in the 50 meters freestyle, in a statement displayed during the ceremony.
In relation to the Paralympic Games, of the 236 athletes in Tokyo, 226 (95.7%) were scholarship recipients of the program. For Vinícius Rodrigues, silver medalist in the 100m T63, for people with disabilities in the lower and upper limbs, support was also essential.
“When I got the Bolsa Atleta, I managed to improve my performances, I managed to invest more in myself. And, after that atypical year, with the corona, that uncertainty of knowing what will happen, we had no competition, nothing. And what held me back was the Bolsa Atleta”, he stated in a statement displayed at the ceremony.
“If we continue with this systemic development, with the teacher training program, and with the sports schools, in 2040 Brazil will fight on equal terms with China in the Paralympic Games”, said Mizael Conrado, president of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee.
See the records of Poder360 photo reporter Sérgio Lima:
With information from Brazil Agency