High performance sports and excellence sport centers: investigation of sports facilities and of professional profiles in the venues attended by the Brazil awards plan

• Grant number: 14/10328-6
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: October 01, 2014
• End date: March 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physical Education
• Principal Investigator: Roberto Rodrigues Paes
• Grantee: Roberto Rodrigues Paes
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Educação Física (FEF). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Mariana Antonelli ; Riller Silva Reverdito

Abstract

From the pressuposition that a country's sucess in sports is related, among other factors, to itssport infrastructure, we felt the need to investigate the Sport Training Centers in Brazil in order to analyse if they can, in fact, be considered and recognized as High Performance Sports Centers and/or Excelence Sports Centers. We used the parameters established for this type offacility having as reference the criteria proposed by the Higher Sports Council of Spain(2002), since Brazil does not have a document establishing the minimum standards required. For the purpose of this study, we have limited the facilities to be analysed to the 22 Centers servicing the Brazil Awards Plan. Twenty-one of them are directed to Olympic sports whereas the remaining one is directed to Paralimpic sports. Brazil Awards Plan is an initiative from the Brazilian Ministry of Sports which has as main goal the offering of necessary infrastructure in order to enable athletes to, at the end of the Olympic Games, place Brazil among the ten first in the international ranking, and among the five first in the Paralimpic Games ranking, both to be held in 2016. This Plan consisted of a 1 billion real investment, from which 310 million will be used in construction, remodeling and operation of the Olympic and Paralimpic Sports Centers. Sporting activities with more chances of obtaining Olympic medals are being prioritized. Thus, the expectation of our study is to obtain information that will allow us to check the existing Centers and analyze if they meet the minimum necessary standards required to be considered High Performance Sport Centers and/or Excellence Sports Centers. For this matter we will analyse infrastructure, organization and human resourses. We will also point out the effectiveness of the use of the investments made so far, as well as get to know and understand better the profile of the professionals and athletes who will use such facilities. (AU)