RIO DE JANEIRO, Jul. 25 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo announced on Wednesday that the government will increase the resources for athletes and sports teams for the Rio Olympics in 2016.

The Minister, who traveled to London with President Dilma Rousseff to attend the London Olympic Games opening ceremony, which will take place on Friday, said the government will invest in sports in a manner "compatible with a host country".

"We have a special plan for 2016, with more resources," he said, adding that the investments will be announced in Brazil, after the current Games.

Minister Rebelo estimated on Tuesday that the 259 Brazilian athletes who will participate of the London Olympics will win 20 medals, due to more governmental investments in the athletes and in sports infrastructure in recent years.

"We have had four years to evolve from previous results," he said. His estimates were significantly more optimistic than those of the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB), which believes Brazil will win 15 medals in London, the same amount won in the last Games, in Beijing.According to the Minister, the pressure for medals increases with more investments.

"The bigger the resources, the bigger society's demands will be," Rebelo said. Enditem

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)