By Eloyza Guardia
RIO DE JANEIRO, June 29 (Xinhua) — Brazil is heading into the Paris 2024 Games buoyed by its evolution in Olympic sports, evidenced by the growth in the number of medals and participation in more and more sports, which has contributed to increasing the interest of local fans in the competitions and even in practicing new sports.
After winning 19 medals at home, in Rio 2016, occupying thirteenth place in the medal table, Time (Team) Brazil rose one position, achieving 21 medals in Tokyo 2020. And, now, the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) goes to Paris with the goal of surpassing the results achieved in Japan.
“The COB always seeks to evolve in its participation in the main competitions in which the Brazilian delegation participates. Our product is a medal and the COB is responsible for devising strategies to always improve, to enhance our chances of classification and good results in the Games Olympic and Pan American Games,” the committee’s general director and head of the Brazilian mission to the Paris Games, Rogerio Sampaio, told Xinhua.
“However, evolution is not measured only by the number of medals won. The COB also takes into account the number of finals played, the number of modalities that reach a final dispute and even the evolution of athletes and teams during the mission. “added Sampaio, who won gold in judo at the 1992 Barcelona Games.
According to the COB, the delegation is not yet closed. Currently, there are 238 confirmed athletes and the projection is around 270, since the window for the Olympic Games closes in the first week of July. Men’s basketball, for example, still has a chance in the pre-Olympic tournament that will be held in July.
Men’s handball failed to qualify, as did men’s football, which won gold at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, which for the first time failed to secure a place at an edition of the Olympic Games.
These absences will impact the number of athletes in Time Brasil, which will be lower than in Tokyo and will mean that women will be the majority in the delegation for the first time in the history of the “Canarinha,” Sebastian Pereira, executive manager of High Performance at COB, explained to Xinhua.
There is still room for new qualifiers in the final list of athletes, but one thing is certain: Time Brasil will be backed by competitors who are benchmarks in their respective sports. 56 World Championship and/or Olympic Games medallists, whether in the adult or youth edition, have already been confirmed to represent Brazil in Paris.
Among the most notable are Olympic champions Ana Marcela Cunha, in the aquatic marathon, Isaquias Queiroz, in speed canoeing, Rebeca Andrade, in artistic gymnastics, the duo Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze, in sailing, and Rafaela Silva, in judo.
In addition to them, world champions such as Duda Lisboa and Ana Patrícia, from beach volleyball, Alison dos Santos, from athletics, Rayssa Leal, from skateboarding, Beatriz Ferreira, from boxing, Ana Sátila, from canoeing slalom, Gabriel will be in the French capital. Medina and Filipe Toledo, from surfing, Nathalie Moellhausen, from fencing, or Mayra Aguiar from judo, among others.
“Our delegation will be made up of a mix of established names, Olympic or world champions and young athletes with great potential. Having references in the modalities provides extra strength to the team, which feels more motivated to achieve significant results and break records. I am I am sure that our athletes will have a great campaign in Paris 2024,” said Sampaio.
Athletes in various sports will make their final preparations, starting in early July, in various locations across Europe before heading to Paris to compete in the Olympic Games. In addition to cities in France itself, there will be Brazilian athletes in countries such as Germany, Slovenia, Spain, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and Turkey.
“Many sports already have their bases in Europe, which makes operations easier and provides security for athletes,” said Pereira, noting that this was not possible in Tokyo due to the large time difference. “That is why we made the final preparations there only in Japanese cities,” he added.
“We are ready to offer the best structure to these athletes who have already made history and to the new ones who are looking to reach that level. They will all arrive with the desire to add an important chapter to their careers at these Paris Games,” said Sampaio, who is also the COB’s general director.
“We want the Brazilian population to be proud of its athletes and for sport and a healthy life guided by Olympic values to be considered a viable option for the new generations. In this sense, the Olympic Games are an excellent showcase for the work, not only of the COB, but, above all, of the Brazilian athlete,” concluded Sampaio.
Always known as “the country of football”, Brazil created its Olympic Committee 110 years ago and has participated in all Olympic editions, except in 1928, winning 150 medals – 37 gold, 42 silver and 71 bronze – if Well 96 of the 150 were achieved since Sydney 2000. End
2024-06-30 02:11:39
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