Official Website of the Ministry of Sports
12/02/2009 at 13:00 p.m. -
The Ministry of Sports will present to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, within 60 days, a proposed decree to regulate the distribution of resources from the Agnelo-Piva Law, in order to also benefit clubs that train Olympic athletes. The announcement was made on Thursday morning (12), by the Minister of Sports, Orlando Silva, after a meeting with representatives of the Clubs that Train Olympic Athletes.
"We believe it is legitimate and necessary to support the clubs responsible for training our country's Olympic athletes. The Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) is a fundamental part of this process, given its leadership of Brazilian sports, and will participate in the discussions on the new decree," stated Orlando Silva. The meeting of representatives from the clubs, the COB, and the Ministry will be scheduled after Carnival, since Carlos Alberto Nuzmann is out of the country.
The purpose of this change, according to the minister, is to strengthen Brazilian sports. "I have the impression that the COB, as it is interested in strengthening the clubs that develop athletes, should support this decision," he believes.
The Agnelo-Piva Law allocates funds from lotteries to the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) and the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB). The clubs hope to be included among the beneficiaries of the transfer.
Among those present at the hearing were Arialdo Boscolo, president of the Brazilian Confederation of Clubs (CBC); Sérgio Bruno Zech Coelho, president of Minas Tênis Clube; Antônio Moreno Neto, president of Clube Pinheiros; Flamengo's legal advisor, Pedro Trengrousen; and Marcio Braga, vice-president of the Council of Athlete Training Clubs; as well as Ricardo Leyser Gonçalves, National Secretary of Sports and High Performance. Flamengo's president and vice-president of the council, Marcio Braga, also participated in the meeting by telephone.
Ségio Bruno Zech, who also chairs the Training Council of Olympic Athletes' Clubs, believes this change will be recognition of the work that Training Clubs have long done in Brazil. "We were warmly welcomed. Minister Orlando Silva was very friendly, and with that in mind, we will work with the Ministry of Sports and the Brazilian Olympic Committee to find a solution so that we, at the grassroots level, and other clubs that have never played sports, and many that have stopped, can once again train athletes for our national teams," he said.
Bruno Zech argues that over time, clubs that train Olympic athletes have spent money on investments, and therefore it would be necessary to receive a portion of these resources. "The number we are requesting is proportional to the number of clubs that could benefit—something around 30% of the total amount under the Agnelo-Piva Law," he explains.
Carla Belizária and Clara Mousinho \ Photo: Francisco Medeiros \ Ascom - Ministry of Sports\