The Mais Querido artistic swimming teams are preparing for their debut in state competitions in 2018. This Sunday (15), athletes from all categories of the sport enter the Daltely Guimarães pool, in Gávea, for the Artistic Swimming Solo Festival – Suzanne Bunn Trophy. The tests begin at 10 am. 

Roberta Perillier, coach of Rubro-Negro, commented on the importance and advantages of hosting the competition.

"We're able to bring Flamengo fans, the people who frequent the club, to learn about our sport, and we're able to showcase our work environment. We also train in the pool where we'll compete, so from a technical perspective, it's a huge comfort for athletes to already know the place," said Beta. 

For the tournament, the Mais Querido team is going all out. Since there's no limit on registrations, the red-and-black coaches decided to take advantage of the opportunity to develop the swimmers by signing them all up.

"We see this championship as having two very positive aspects: because it's a technical routine, we develop the athlete's technique individually, so the elements of the floor routine are worked on in all categories. Furthermore, the athlete can improve the floor, which is the most difficult event in synchronized swimming, requiring a lot of technique," commented the coach.

The Solo Festival is a new initiative by the Rio de Janeiro Aquatic Federation, created with the vision of strengthening the sport and improving the level of swimmers in the state. The FARJ's goal is to create a competition each month, revitalizing the artistic swimming scene in Rio.