A major new investment by the University of Sao Paulo (USP) in high performance sport is just a small part of a growing wave of activities throughout Brazil geared towards finding the next generation of Olympic champions in time for the 2016 Rio Games.
USP, a public university, has committed R$4.2 million over the next three years to Olympic and Paralymic talent development and training technologies, specifically directed through the institution’s science department.
The initiative will assist existing athletes, particularly those from the university, with limited access to specialist doctors, equipments and technologies, with a key aim being to measure and improve performance.
R$2 million will be directed to the renovation and expansion of the uni’s sport facilities at both its São Paulo and Riberiao Preto (also in São Paulo state) campuses. Similar renovation and investment projects have also been initiated or earmarked at a series of universities and schools around the country.