Rousseff welcomes athletes and says adversaries should be respected

President Dilma Rousseff welcomed at the presidential palace the delegations that represented Brazil in the Pan-American and Parapan-American Games in Toronto. The ceremony was held Thursday (Aug. 27) to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Bolsa Atleta government program.

In her speech, the head of state admitted she was moved by the success stories she heard, especially those of Parapan-American athletes. She praised what she termed “ethics in sports,” and said that sports “show that people may face defeats and hardships along the way, but every athlete stands up and moves on. They might not win at the first try, but often do it at the second or third attempt. They keep fighting until they win, respecting the performance of their fellow athlete, who is the winner.”

Rousseff mentioned swimmer Thiago Pereira as an example of the lessons taught by sports on respect even when contestants are faced with a tight score. Pereira has become the greatest medalist in the Pan-American games, by collecting 23 medals, one more than Cuban Erick López.

“I was glad to hear that Thiago beat the Cuban by one medal. He has 23 and the Cuban 22, and now he's the greatest Pan-American athlete. Of course he respects the Cuban, who has 22, but it's also self-evident that he's number one in this. This is another story in sports: you win, but you also respect your adversary, because the adversary adds value to the winner,” she said.

The president hailed the achievements of the 10-year-old Bolsa Atleta, which benefited 15 thousand athletes with a total $168.7 million, and said that the government will continue to invest in the training and support of Brazilian sportspeople.

“We'll further enhance the Bolsa Atleta, the Bolsa Pódio, and offer support to athletes who make it possible for Brazil to show its strength and skill in the games.”

Rousseff also highlighted the construction of 18 training centers for athletes and the preparations being staged ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games as opportunities for the advancement of sports policies. She went on to urge all Brazilian sports fans to show their support for the athletes representing the country in the competitions next year.

Of the 141 medals bagged by Brazil in the Pan-American Games in Toronto, 121 were won by athletes and teams benefited by grants from the federal government. As for the Parapan-American Games, 254 of the 257 Brazilian medalists are grant-holders.

The program benefits base to high-performance athletes which with remarkable achievements in both national and international competitions. Grants range from a monthly $107 to $4,218 and last for a year. In 2015, beneficiaries totaled 6,093. This year's investment is estimated to reach $22.9 million.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira