"The BOC counts on athletes to build a strong and cohesive Olympic movement", said Rogrio Sampaio during the First Forum of Athletes' Commissions

"A milestone for Brazilian sports". That was how Tiago Camilo, twice an Olympic medalist and president of the COB's Athletes' Commission, defined the first Forum of Athletes' Commissions of the Brazilian Olympic Movement, held on this Tuesday, June 23rd, date on which the Olympic Day is celebrated. The event was attended by all Athletes' Commissions of the Brazilian Olympic Confederations, with an audience of 88 people in the virtual room, and was also broadcast live on Brazil Team's channel on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj2XsYqQEks), with more than 400 hits. The goals of the meeting were to exchange experiences and increase the engagement of athletes in the pursuit of sports development in the country.

"Today is a milestone for Brazilian sports. Today is a milestone for all Athletes' Commissions to come. Every walk begins with a small step. And everyone who participated in this forum can take that first step within their commissions. I would like to thank the BOC, President Paulo Wanderley, Rogério Sampaio and everyone else who took part in the carrying out of this forum. It is an honor to be part of this team of champions. Together we will write a new page of Brazilian Olympic sports", said Tiago Camilo, silver medalist in Sydney 2000 and bronze medalist in Beijing 2008, in judo. "Our goal is for this event to take place annually. It is a legacy of this management, which was very participative, with so many athletes who made history in the Brazilian Olympic sports. We have a duty to write this story together with the BOC", said Tiago Camilo, president of the BOC's Athletes' Commission and silver medalist in Sydney 2000 and bronze medalist in Beijing 2008.

"Today I am in the position of General Director of the BOC and I believe that this is a demonstration of the possibilities that are also open to athletes outside the mats, courts and tracks. The action of each one of us must always happen while thinking about the collective benefit. And that is why the BOC wants to count on the presence of athletes increasingly closer. Thus, we will build a strong and cohesive Olympic movement, which reflects diversity and excellence" declared Rogério Sampaio, BOC's General Director and Olympic judo champion in Barcelona 1992. "The BOC has strengthened its synergy with athletes, through changes promoted by the management of President Paulo Wanderley, as we know his role within society. For this reason, I now highlight the importance of not only the Confederations but also of the State Federations having their athletes' commissions", completed Rogério Sampaio.

The Event - The Forum started with a presentation of the work that has been developed by the collegiate in recent years. All members of the Commission had the opportunity to introduce themselves and talk about their roles within the organization. Then, it was the turn of BOC's managers, Soraya Carvalho (manager of the Brazilian Olympic Institute), Jorge Bichara (BOC’s Sports director) and Antônio Carlos Moreno (BOC's master coach), in addition to the Olympic vice-champion Bernard Rajzman, member of the IOC, to talk about the projects aimed at the athletes that they lead on a daily basis.

The current management of the BOC has worked in harmony with the entity's Athletes' Commission, seeking to meet all requests from the collegiate. As soon as he assumed the presidency of the BOC, Paulo Wanderley increased the representativeness of the Commission within the entity's assemblies and votes, jumping from 1 to 12 votes. In 2019, during the Extraordinary General Meeting, a new increase was approved: in the cycle from 2021 to 2024, the Athletes' Commission will be composed of 25 members, with 19 of them being able to vote.

"We are very happy with our first Forum. I believe that this was our kickoff, given with praise and dignity. In general, it was extremely positive", said Yane Marques, vice president of the BOC's Athletes' Commission and Olympic modern pentathlon medalist in London 2012.

In addition to Yane, other Olympic medalists from the BOC's Commission attended the event: Hortência (basketball), Poliana Okimoto (water marathon), Emanuel Rêgo (beach volleyball), Thiago Pereira (swimming), Isabel Swan (sailing) and Fabi Alvim (volleyball).

The first Forum of Athletes' Commissions of the Brazilian Olympic Movement is part of the Olympic Day program, which celebrates the IOC's founding anniversary. In 2020, the BOC has extended the celebrations for 30 days, transforming it into the Olympic Month, with the purpose of encouraging people to develop Olympic values.

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