There are now 1,000 days to go. On 5 August 2016, Brazil will open the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games – Games that belong to all of us. Meanwhile, young athletes are already breathing Olympic sport in Belém. Nearly 4,000 athletes, aged 15 to 17, from all states of the country, are competing in the biggest ever edition of the Youth School Games. They have different backgrounds and inspirations, but one thing in common: the Olympic dream.

“It’s because of the School Games that many children start to develop their desire to train and compete. I now want to be at the Olympic Games in Rio and have many friends and relatives cheering me on and seeing me compete close-up”, says Julio César de Oliveira, aged 17, a gold medal-winner at the 2012 School Games and a medallist at the 2013 Australian Youth Olympic Festival.

Vitor Hugo Mourão dos Santos, also aged 17, a gold medallist at the 2010 School Games and silver medallist at the 2013 World Youth Games, has the same expectation:

“The School Games are very important because everything starts at school. For 2016, I will still be a little young, but I want to compete to gain experience. I can see my work with my coach going well and I will be in good shape to qualify for the Games”, he affirms.

The career path of major sports stars shows that the dream of Julio César and Vitor Hugo is possible. In 1,000 days, with a lot of training and discipline, anything can happen. Of the 259 Brazilians who took part in the London Games, 17 had participated in student competitions. Of this group, two judokas won medals – Sarah Menezes, who won gold, and Mayra Aguiar, who won bronze.

“I began at school, at the age of nine and, as my training progressed, I took part in competitions, achieving results until I gained recognition. I think that many athletes from the School Games will be able to join the Brazilian delegation, despite their young age. They should trust in their talent because anything is possible in our lives. You just have to believe, train and dedicate yourself in order to get there”, advises Sarah Menezes, who had the opportunity to make her debut at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, less than 1,000 days after the last time she participated as an athlete in the student event.

Athletes Tamiris de Liz, Geisa Arcanjo, Aldemir Gomes and Jonathan Henrique Silva are also a source of inspiration for young sportspeople. All four of them competed in the 2009 Youth School Games in Maringá, held less than 1,000 days before the 2012 London Olympic Games.

“It all began at the School Games. It’s because of this event that sport is now my livelihood. It’s the main competition in the country to discover new athletes. If it weren’t for the School Games, I might not be competing”, says Tamiris de Liz, who took part in the 2012 London Games as a reserve athlete for the 4 x 100m relay race, at the age of 16. After her first Olympic experience, she also competed in the 2012 Youth School Games in Cuiabá, winning gold in the 100m.

According to Agberto Guimarães, the Committee’s Director of Sports and Paralympic Integration, the Youth School Games are much more than just an incubator for future elite athletes.

“They multiply contact with Olympic values and sports. Each one of these 4,000 athletes spreads this engagement through their world of classmates, teachers, friends and relatives. Celebrating this milestone during the competition in Belém means touching the whole of Brazil with the spirit and magic of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games”, says Agberto.