This Monday 30 January the Rio 2016™ Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games has started the Recruitment Process of Sports Competition Leaders, highly qualified professionals who will be heading all the operation of the 28 Olympic and 22 Paralympic sports during the planet’s biggest event in 2016.

With an eye on the sports legacy for the country, the priority of the Rio 2016™ will be Brazilian professionals. Those selected will enjoy a unique learning experience for the next four years. After the Games, these professionals will become multipliers.

“It is a unique opportunity for management professionals across the country to face the challenge of leading all aspects of an Olympic or Paralympic competition. Each detail of this Leader’s work is crucial. There are many responsibilities, but there are as many rewards for the professional and Brazil’s market”, remarks Agberto Guimarães, Rio 2016™’s sport director.

The 52 professionals selected will be under the supervision of Ricardo Prado, their head of sport competition. As an Olympic medallist, an ex-world record winner and one of the greatest names of Brazilian swimming, Prado details the recruitment process of Sports Competition Leaders and its impacts in the interview below:

What are the responsibilities of the Sports Competition Leader?

He/she will help us to set up a competition programme for this discipline or sport. He/she will be in charge of keeping a relationship with the International Federation for the definition of the competition calendar, for example. He/she will help with the decision-making process about competition venue infrastructure and ensure compliance with all technical requirements. He/she will assist in the purchase of equipment officially approved by the Federations. He/she will assign the functions of volunteers. He/she will also be a liaison between the technical delegates of the relevant International Federation and the rest of the Rio 2016™ Organising Committee, as a reference point, a knowledge centre. He/she will exchange information with the departments responsible, for example, for transport and food.

There are 52 vacancies for 50 sports. Why?

That is the number of disciplines. Our analysis is made according to the complexity of each of them. Some sports, such as Aquatics, have several disciplines – Diving, Swimming, Water Polo and Synchronised Swimming, besides Aquatic Marathon. In this case, there will be five leaders. On the other hand, the same professional may be able to deal with a Paralympic sport of the same nature as that of an Olympic sport.

What kind of professional is the Rio 2016™ seeking?

Some education and a good command of English are essential. All communication with the Federations is in English. The preferred areas are Business Management, P.E. and Sports Management but professionals from other areas may also be suitable to apply. It certainly helps if the applicant is an ex-elite athlete who has taken part in international competitions, but we are also aware of the potential, for example, of club managers, federations and confederations managers or people in the event industry. I reckon there will be a mix of types of professionals.

Is it necessary to be a specialist or to have experience in a specific sport?

The person will apply for a specific sport and we want specialists with a strong technical knowledge of the sport. On the other hand, we may also think that the candidate has an interesting background and allocate him to another position in the future.

At what hierarchy and payment level will the Leaders start?

They will be allocated to the Sports Competition Management under my supervision and below their Groups Sports Manager, who is the head of a sports group. The professional will not be hired from the beginning. First, there will be a training period, when payment will be per-diem (per day or activity). If the candidate is not from Rio, he/she will come to Rio some times in a year for meetings, conferences, visits and competitions, but may stay in his hometown during this period. Hiring will start as from 2013 through 2015, when the staff will be complete and working full-time.

To what extent can this experience contribute to the career of a professional?

The training process can be very interesting. You will share information and deal with world sports managers during the pre-Games phase. Moreover, you will have the opportunity to be in the heart of the Rio 2016™ Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. You will be responsible for all that concerns a given sport. To anyone with a passion for sport, it is a dream come true.

What legacy will this opportunity leave to Brazil’s sports management?

A total of 52 highly qualified professionals will have “Olympic and Paralympic Games” in their CVs, will be able to take the knowledge they have gained to other regions of Brazil, pass on this knowledge to a network of professionals and thus expand Rio 2016™’s positive impact also with regard to sports management. I reckon we will be surprised at the different types of candidates and the potential of those professionals. Before seeking them abroad, it is our duty to seek them in Brazil. We are willing to prepare and train these people. Our aim is to build a human resources legacy which will make a real impact on the history of Brazilian sport.