BRASILIA, Aug 31 (NNN-AGENCIA BRASIL) — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced this week the creation of a sports university. He made those remarks while welcoming at the Planalto Palace a delegation of rhythmic gymnasts who won two medals at the world championships in Rio de Janeiro earlier this month.
“We will soon announce a sports university here in Brazil. The initial idea was to create a football college. And I thought it would be better to move towards something more general, because the issue of sport is extremely diverse. Now that I’m a little older, I’ve become a fan of surfing. I’ve become a fan of skateboarding,” he said.
Alongside Sports Minister André Fufuca, the president also said that he plans to meet with female footballers and host a reception for them and representatives of sports organizations in the country.
Lula also defended the Bolsa Atleta, a program that supports the development of athletes. “We created the Bolsa Atleta because we discovered that there were people who wanted to train but didn’t have sneakers, people who wanted to be runners but didn’t have sneakers to run in, so they ran barefoot, and no one will sponsor someone who isn’t famous,” he noted.
Fufuca also heralded the submission of a bill to Congress to foster women’s football. In 2027, Brazil will host the Women’s World Cup. — NNN-AGENCIA BRASIL
