Winner of the Brazilian Olympic Award, Maria Clara Lobo praises the Red-Black Guardian Angel
Artistic swimmer spoke about the importance of the program for Flamengo's Olympic sports
By Helena Petry - inAt Flamengo since 2010, artistic swimmer Maria Clara Lobo is now a reference in the sport. The red-and-black has reached the podium in every Brazilian championship she has participated in since 2013 and has won several important titles with the Brazilian National Team, such as the gold medal in the South American Absolute team competition in 2016, and silver medals in the Free Duet and Technical Duet at the South American Games in Cochabamba in June of this year. The athlete was also part of the team that competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics. To top it all off, last Tuesday (17), Maria won the Brazilian Olympic Award for the second consecutive time as the best artistic swimming athlete in Brazil.
At 20 years old, Maria Clara went through all the youth categories of Mais Querido, being contemplated by Anjo da Guarda Rubro-Negro since its creation, in 2013. The program was fundamental in the athlete's trajectory, who was able to benefit from cutting-edge equipment, excellent coaches and transportation and accommodation in competitions, among several other relevant components in the formation of an Olympic athlete, thanks to the resources raised.
"The project is incredible and very important; it's a great incentive from the grassroots level to the highest level. The Guardian Angel enabled us to participate in several competitions and greatly contributed to the performance of all Flamengo's Olympic athletes," said Maria.
"This year I achieved excellent results and ended up winning the Brazilian Olympic Award for my sport for the second consecutive year. The support of the Guardian Angel and the continuity of the project were essential for me to reach the Olympic Games in 2016 and continue to achieve good results thereafter," he concluded.
In addition to Maria Clara, approximately 650 athletes across nine sports benefit each year. The Angel program allows individuals to support the development of hundreds of athletes and citizens without spending anything, redirecting up to 6% of their income tax to Flamengo's Olympic sports.
The artistic swimming teams of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo rely on resources from their sponsors – Banco Bonsucesso, Furnas, Estácio, LafargeHolcim/Cimento Mauá, EY – via the Federal Incentive Law/Ministry of Sports (IR), in addition to support from the Brazilian Confederation of Clubs (CBC) resulting from the decentralization of resources originating from the Pelé Law.