IAAF World Athletics Day - Brazil - Campo Mourão Paraná (© c)
A week ahead of most countries, boys and girls from all over Brazil gathered over the weekend of 29 and 30 April at 40 Athletics tracks in different Brazilian cities. The Brazilian Athletics Federation even before receiving the final numbers from the 27 State Federations was celebrating the resounding success of the IAAF World Athletics Day.
The World Athletics Day was conducted in Brazil by the National Athletics Federation in close cooperation with the State Federations and CAIXA Econômica Federal, the Brazilian Athletics main sponsor. School children 14 and 15 years-old, most of them not affiliated to any Athletics Club competed in 80m, 150m and 1000m races and also in jumping and throwing events. “Our goal to promote Athletics among the youth was fully accomplished. It was a success” stated the President of the Brazilian Athletics Federation and IAAF Council Member, Roberto Gesta de Melo, “In many Brazilian regions we had a lot of rain, but even this way we are sure that now many young people know Athletics better”, he added.
As it was previously expected, the State of Maranhão had the largest number of participants. “We had rain during Saturday and Sunday, but many people were present and the local media was interested in our event, at least 1500 kids were in the track of the São Luis Sports Complex during the weekend,” informed Manoel Trajano Dantas Neto, CBAt Official.
The President of the Maranhão Federation, Raimundo Mesquita, confirmed that thousands of kids also participated in different smaller cities in the Maranhão State. "We celebrated Athletics in seven other cities", he mentioned, listing Caxias, Açailândia, Imperatriz, Arari, Raposa, São Bento and São José do Ribamar as the other cities involved in the event.
A beautiful party was also staged in Rio de Janeiro. The local Federation brought hundreds of school kids to the Célio de Barros Track, in the Maracanã Complex, where on 14 May the Brazilian Athletics Federation will organize one of the South American Area permit meetings ahead of the IAAF World Tour stop of 21 May in Belém. According to Carlos Alberto Lanceta, President of the Rio de Janeiro Federation and responsible for the organisation of the activities, besides the participants, the public in the stands cheered the competitors, and the media fully covered the initiative. "We even had kids that showed a lot of potential and will soon be participating in one of our Athletics initiation projects” said Lanceta.
In Paraná the activities were held in Campo Mourão, in the Northern part of the State. "Professor Maria da Conceição (Vice President of the Federation) conducted the work", informed Ubiratan Martins Júnior, President of the Entity. "At least two thousand kids participated", said Ubiratan.
During the next days, the Brazilian Athletics Federation will have the final numbers of the World Athletics Day activities in the country.
Benê Turco for the IAAF