Judoka Rafaela Silva and Goalkeeper Aranha Identify and Report Racism at the Olympic Games

The Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games are a great opportunity to spread the message that we are all equal, said Secretary of Racial Equality Promotion Policies of the Federal Government (SEPPIR), Luislinda Valois. During a press conference held to introduce the primer "For Olympic Games without Racism - Learn to identify the crime of racism and how to report it", she emphasised the importance of the world's biggest sporting event for the integration of black people into the national context.

Check out below an interview with Secretary Luislinda Valois on fighting racism and the primer launched by the Federal Government:

RIO MEDIA CENTER - How can the fact that Brasil is hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games help in the struggle for racial equality and against racism in sport?

LUISLINDA VALOIS - The Olympics will help greatly. Perhaps the organisers and the government may not know how far the event goes in helping and collaborating in the fight against racism and towards the integration of the black population into the national context. Because it is an opportunity for an entire youth, whether black, white, blue, yellow, rich or poor, to become closer to each other. And there is that remarkable moment, usually when national athletes shine, in which people embrace each other, and when they embrace, they exchange positive energy. This energy is what really makes black people feel like they can integrate. At the end of this great event in Brazil, I have no doubt that even those children from beyond the most remote areas of our capitals will want to be a part of a group like this, will seek and demand to receive the means and opportunities that they saw, even if they only saw it on television. For me, this is how the Games will help: by spreading the message that we really are all equal, as taught by the Brazilian Constitution.

RMC: What is the Olympics without Racism Programme that is being launched by the Federal Government?

LUISLINDA - Today, we are working to eradicate racism in Brazil. It is everywhere, it takes all forms, and it changes as society changes, presenting itself today in ways that are different from those we already knew in the past. So it is important to show that it persists. We are launching a primer called "For Olympic Games without racism". It defines what racism and racial slurs are, exemplifies some of these manifestations, instructs readers on what the Constitution says about the matter, and advises on the places and authorities that should be sought if a person is a victim of racism.

RMC – Black people and women are still a minority in various sectors of society. This week, judoka Rafaela Silva - a black woman from a community in Rio - won the gold medal after being a victim of racist remarks in the London Olympics. How do they participate in sports, especially those sports that, in Brazil, still depend heavily on the personal efforts of the athlete?

LUISLINDA - When I saw Rafaela's victory, from the very beginning until her winning the gold, I remembered an important moment of my own story, which was my promotion to desembargadora (chief judge of appeal). We both used our talents to overcome exclusion: in my case, I used my pen. Rafaela used sport. That moment was very rewarding for me. I believe that today, Rafaela has become an icon, a role model for many black, poor women from the periferia (poor outskirts of cities) who have gone through several episodes of exclusion. More than that, Rafaela is already a role model not only for the black, poor, or excluded, but for the entire Brazilian youth.

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