The physical space of CUIDAR (Unified Center for Identification and Development of Performance Athletes), at the Gávea headquarters, completed two years last Monday (22). Inaugurated in 2016, the nucleus has consolidated itself as a very important part of the routine of the athletes of the red-black Olympic sports and fundamental in achieving resultsToday, CUIDAR has 39 healthcare professionals dedicated to the physical and mental well-being of those who defend the Sacred Mantle.

The project emerged with the goal of enhancing interdisciplinarity in sports, combining athlete training with work from various disciplines, working collaboratively and complementing each individual's development. In addition to training athletes, the goal was to also develop the professionals involved in developing new talent, focusing on six areas: physical preparation, technique, tactics, and intellectual, educational, and emotional development.

November 2016 marked the beginning of medical, nutritional, and physical therapy services for athletes. Also in the year the facility opened, 13 Sports Professional Schools were held, involving approximately 100 professionals; and two Parent-Athlete Schools: Sports Nutrition, in April, and Sports Performance and Health, in November, bringing together over 400 people. Scientific protocols and medical, nutritional, and physical therapy services were also developed for athletes across the eight sports.

In 2017, CUIDAR's support for the Olympic Sports Directorate was crucial in structuring the teams for the following year. The center organized and conducted pre-, mid-, and post-season evaluations for more than 500 red-and-black athletes, as well as delivering the evaluation, data analysis, presentation of results, and development of improvement action plans to coaches. That same year, CUIDAR also participated in improving the content of the programs for seven Olympic sports at the Sports Schools. Three Sports Professional Schools, two Parent-Athlete Schools, and a Sports Nutrition School for Rowing Base Athletes were held, totaling over 400 participants. Three benchmarking visits to the US Olympic Committee's Olympic Center in Colorado Springs were organized, involving seven coaches, eight managers, and seven professionals from the Mais Querido multidisciplinary team. The year 2017 also marked the beginning of CUIDAR's partnership with the Rio de Janeiro Eye Institute, the Hermes Pardini Laboratory, the National Physiotherapy Society and the Regional Council of Physical Education.

In 2018, the center completed the structuring of the Unified Interdisciplinary Management for High Performance (GUIAR) with the hiring of an additional scientific coordinator, a psychologist, four interns, a massage therapist, and a sociologist. The center also continued to improve the Performance Athlete Development Plan and training macrocycles, as well as injury prevention programs for all sports, from youth to professional. The UNIFICA-AÇÕES Sempre Flamengo Project, which integrates Sports Schools and Teams, was developed and implemented; the Socioprofessional Integration Support Plan (PAIS), which aims to support athletes' careers not only during their active period but also, and especially, afterward, helping them enter the job market; and the Decision Support Program (PSD), which aims to promote alignment in training planning and delivery, health promotion, and injury prevention and treatment among coaches and the multidisciplinary team; and the Integrated Sports System, a program that manages and integrates all athlete data for better monitoring and follow-up by the multidisciplinary team and technical committee of the sports.

CUIDAR also actively participated in the creation of Flamengo's new professional volleyball team, conducting preseason evaluations for the team, as well as for FlaBasquete, the five-time national champion, and all of the Mais Querido's sports, involving more than 500 athletes. Partnerships with SONAFE, CREF, and the club's Center of Excellence and Football Performance resulted in 12 Schools for Sports Professionals. In addition, nine additional Schools for Parents, Athletes, and Professionals were promoted, covering important topics such as "Doping," "Fundamental Aspects of Nutrition," and "Muscle Glycogen Replenishment and Weekend Nutrition," among others. CUIDAR also took the lecture “In Search of Excellence” to Gávea, with Olympic champion coach Bernardinho. The swimming, water polo, judo, artistic gymnastics, and volleyball teams received a total of twelve lectures on sports psychology. Finally, GUIAR opened the Emergency and Urgent Care unit in September.

Raised in the Gávea pools, swimmer Nathalia Almeida is one of the sport's promising young talents in Brazil. Having been a member of the club since 2012, the red-and-black fan has closely followed the creation of CUIDAR and guarantees that the center has positively impacted the lives of all of Mais Querido's athletes. 

"When I joined Flamengo, we didn't have this kind of structure. I, who always had a very varied training schedule, sometimes couldn't get a physical therapy appointment, for example. At the time, only rowing and basketball had their own physical therapists; athletes in other sports had to go to the club's Medical Center, so there were too many people for too few professionals," commented Naná. "When they set up CUIDAR, a lot of progress was made. Not every club has the support of a masseuse, physical therapist, doctors, psychologist, nutritionist—everything for the athletes, and that's very important. Especially for us high-performance athletes, who are always on the brink of injury. I can't even begin to tell you how much it's improved for us and for our training."

New to the club, Natasha Valente, FlaVôlei's opposite hitter, is already a veteran of the sport. Experienced, she has played for top national volleyball teams such as Osasco, Barueri, Brasília, and Fluminense, as well as being a member of the Brazilian beach volleyball team. Hired by Mais Querido in July 2018, she was impressed with the club's service. 

"I thought CUIDAR's structure was incredible. Every high-performance athlete knows how important it is to a team. In addition to our on-court preparation, it's essential that we have a support network that includes psychological, physical, tactical, physiotherapy, nutritional, and any other needs we may have. Flamengo does some really great work through CUIDAR, which ensures we have everything we need to perform at a high level. We hope that, with this entire structure, we can achieve the goals we set for this season," said Natasha.

By September 2018, CUIDAR had provided over ten thousand services to Rubro-Negro athletes. Between the center's launch and November 2017, 5.609 assessments were carried out. From January to September of this year, the number has already reached 5.579, considering that the professional basketball and volleyball teams' playing seasons only began in August and October, respectively.