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High-Performance athletic Program boosts Brazil’s Olympic success in Paris 2024
- Credit: Gaspar Nóbrega COB/ Mastkd/ CBJ.
Only 33 days until the 2024 Olympic Games, Brazil’s High-Performance Athletes Program (Programa Atletas de Alto Rendimento/PAAR), coordinated by the Ministry of Defense (Ministério da Defesa), is responsible for sending some 30% of all Brazilians contestants who will compete in the world's greatest sporting event. To date, 64 athletes belonging to the program and one career soldier have already secured a spot at the Paris Olympic Games. To get into the atmosphere and celebrate sport, health and unity, Olympic Day is celebrated on June 23, which is the date when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded in 1894.
Known as the "City of Light", Paris will host the fourth edition of the Olympic Games with the participation of military personnel from PAAR. It all began in London, in 2012, when 51 military athletes were part of the 259-strong Brazilian Olympic delegation. On that occasion, of the 17 medals secured by Brazil, five were won by the military.
From this first performance onwards, PAAR’s importance for athletes’ preparation has grown. The results came in the best possible format: medals. At the Rio Olympic Games in 2016, the military represented 31% of the green-and-yellow delegation, with 145 soldiers. At the end of the competition, they secured 13 of the 19 medals won by Brazil. It was no different at the Tokyo Games in 2021: of the 21 medals won by Brazil’s 301 athletes, 8 were won by PAAR’s 92 military athletes.
It is in this context that high-performance athletes dedicate themselves during Olympic cycles: four years of dedication to training and overcoming injuries to earn a spot at the Olympic Games. This path requires support and investment so that athletes can achieve their best performance, compete with the best athletes in the world and fight for a place on the podium. PAAR's objective is to contribute to the development of national sport and provide better conditions, in terms of time and facilities, for the athletes.
LIFE-CHANGING - Brazilian Air Force Sergeant Caroline Santos is an example of all this. Even though she has been prominent in taekwondo since she was 10, she considered abandoning the sport because she had to work and was unable to commit herself entirely. Even though she received help from her parents, she had to work as a waitress to supplement her income. In 2018 she joined PAAR and began focusing on taekwondo full-time. From that point on, she improved her technical level, which reflected in competitions. Among her many achievements, she won silver medals at the world championships in 2019 and 2023 and a spot in Paris 2024, her first Olympic competition.
- Brazilian Air Force Sergeant Caroline Santos, taekwondo sportswoman
“Having help to pay for tickets and registration for competitions was a great relief, because, in order to fully develop, you need to fight against the best, at the European level. It was very difficult for me dedicate myself to sports—and when the Armed Forces entered my life I was able to have greater freedom and focus on taekwondo,” said Santos.
At the Paris Olympic Games, the High-Performance Athletes Program will also feature Brazilian Army Sergeant Beatriz Souza, elected the best judo sportswoman at the Brazil Olympic Awards (Prêmio Brasil Olímpico) in 2023. In April, already qualified for the Games, she was a gold medalist at the Pan-American Judo Championships in the over 78 kg category, after beating Canadian Ana Laura Portuondo.
- Brazilian Army Sergeant Beatriz Souza, elected the best judo sportswoman at the Brazil Olympic Awards (Prêmio Brasil Olímpico) in 2023
Navy Sergeant Alison dos Santos will also represent Brazil. He won the bronze medal in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games and is a candidate for another podium in Paris. With the final competitions and tryouts in the coming days, there are still chances for sending more Brazilian athletes to the competition in France.
PAAR – The High-Performance Athletes Program is a milestone in sports appreciation in Brazil. With 570 athletes participating in 35 modalities, including 27 Olympic sports, the program promotes sporting excellence and talent development. In addition to providing benefits, such as salaries, paid vacations and medical assistance, PAAR offers athletes access to state-of-the-art military sports facilities for training. Thus, the program reiterates the Ministry of Defense's commitment to promoting sport and developing high-performance athletes.
Special Social Communications Advisory (Assessoria Especial de Comunicação Social/Ascom)
Ministry of Defense (MD)
Telephone numbers: +55 61 3312-4071/4102