Team Brazil Training Center will reopen on July 20

The Brazilian Olympic Committee (BOC) will reopen the Team Brazil Training Center next Monday, the 20th. Following the strict protocols of the Guide for the Practice of Olympic Sports in the COVID-19 Scenario, launched in June by the entity, at first only a maximum of 40 athletes will be allowed to enter the facility. The access will also be allowed for coaches, multidisciplinary teams, and BOC employees, all previously tested. Located in the Barra’s Olympic Park, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Team's TC has been closed since March 18th.

The first group to use Brazil Team's TC will be formed by athletes who reside in Rio and have already secured a place in the Tokyo Olympic Games or are close to the Olympic classification and are not part of the Mission Europe, which will take a group of athletes and officials to a training period in Portugal. New permissions will be granted gradually, according to the five stages established by the BOC protocol.

Throughout this week, all persons authorized to enter the training center will undergo serology tests to check their immune response, and the RT-PCR, considered the gold standard in response to Covid-19. In case of a positive diagnosis, they will not be able to use the TC and will be quarantined. The assembly of equipment, signs, and flow simulations of Brazil Team TC are also being intensified.

At this first moment, the BOC will reopen the Olympic and jumping pools at the Maria Lenk Water Park, in addition to the Strength and Conditioning Room and the Olympic Laboratory. The Artistic Gymnastics Training Center remains closed, as the cleaning of the equipment will take more time. Meanwhile, athletes from the Brazilian national team will train in Sangalhos (Portugal), as part of the Mission Europe.

Security and health

"The BOC continues to prioritize the safety, health and physical integrity of everyone involved in high-performance sports in the country. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have carried out a series of actions aimed at minimizing the impact on the preparation of athletes. Now we have the gradual opening of the Brazil Team Training Center, a very well planned action, carried out following all the authorities' care and recommendations. We are happy with the return of the athletes to our TC and we hope that soon it will be functioning at its full capacity, always within the allowed by the protocols", stated BOC's Sports Director, Jorge Bichara.

Over the past four months, the BOC has been very close to Brazilian athletes and has sought to provide all the necessary support. As soon as the Brazil Team TC was closed, the entity provided equipment for use in their homes during the period of social isolation and produced a manual with guidelines regarding health and training. Athletes who used the TC also had daily assistance offered by professionals in the areas of physical preparation, physiotherapy, psychology and nutrition, who developed specific care programs for this unique moment.

Currently, the entity works on two major fronts. In addition to the reopening of the Brazil Team TC, it puts in practice the Mission Europe, which will provide a return to training for about 200 athletes. The attention of the BOC, which has specific managers for each Olympic sport, is also focused on the most diverse actions, whether from confederations or clubs, among other sports agents.

"In addition to the reopening of the Brazil Team TC and Mission Europe, the BOC, in partnership with the confederations and clubs, has been working to put our athletes back into activity. We are accompanying all actions and monitoring them to identify any specific needs. For the BOC, nothing is more important than the athlete, so all of our attention is focused in a way for us to be able to safely resume our activities, dosing the training load and avoiding injury risks. More than ever, adequate planning and permanent monitoring will be essential for us to go through what is one of the most difficult moments in our history", declared Jorge Bichara.

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