Be an athlete for the day at the third Transforma Sports Festival
The Olympic Village in Jacarepagua opens its doors this weekend for the third edition of the Transforma Sports Festival
Rugby is one of several sports visitors can try at the Transforma Festival on Saturday (Alexandre Loureiro/Rio 2016)
With just over a year to go until the Rio 2016 Games – how many of the 42 Olympic sports have you tried? Can you name the 23 sports on the Paralympic programme?
The third edition of the Transforma Sports Festival is the perfect opportunity to turbo-charge your Olympic know-how and get into the spirit of the Games. Visitors of all ages, from children to the elderly, will have the chance to try out the abundance of sports on offer including archery, goalball, hockey, basketball, golf and wheelchair rugby under the guidance of professional athletes.
The event takes place this Saturday June 20 at the Teacher Manoel José Gomes Tubino Olympic Village, Mato Alto, Jacarepagua, and admission is free. Doors open at 8am and close at 1pm. There’s no need to book a place – just turn up on the day.
"By offering the public the chance to try out the sports that will feature at the Games, we hope to spread the Olympic and Paralympic values of friendship, respect and excellence. The Festival is a great opportunity for people to know more about the world's biggest sporting event and become athletes for a day," said Vanderson Berbat, Education Manager for the Rio 2016 Games.
The event is also an opportunity to get to know Brazil’s sporting heroes (Photo: André Redlich/2016))
Previous editions of the festival brought together more than 2,500 people. At the first edition in Santa Cruz, fans got the chance to play alongside beach volleyball player Emanuel Rego, who won the gold medal in Athens 2004, silver in London 2012 and bronze in Beijing 2008. Guests of honour at the second edition of the festival in Campo Grande included sailor Kahena Kunze, Olympic volleyball champion, Giovane Gávio, and synchronized swimming’s famous twins, Bia and Branca Feres.
With instruction from professional athletes, the event will also feature the presence of Rio 2016 mascots Tom and Vinicius, as well as demonstrations of rhythmic gymnastics and trampolining, performed by gymnasts from the Brazilian team.
The festival is part of the Transforma Education Program which brings the Rio 2016 Games into the classroom. The program works in partnership with public and private primary and secondary schools, creating opportunities for students to experience Olympic and Paralympic values.
