More than making a place available to practice sports with comfort and safety, the Olympic Villages in Rio de Janeiro promote social inclusion of approximately 75 thousand people, revealing talents and even receiving events. These nine units offer more than 20 types of sports for free, such as running, swimming, basketball, volleyball, soccer, fights, ballet and dances, besides libraries, video workshops and computer classes and computer maintenance classes.

The activities are offered for people of all ages, from six month babies to the elderly.  The youngest people may take part in the project “Swimming in Family” (Natação em Família", in which parents jump into the pools to instruct kids  - with teachers’ orientation. The elderly have several alternatives to have a routine of exercises, such as hydrogymnastics, tai-chi-chuan, running and saloon dance.

Some of the Olympic villages transcend social work and carry out projects that reveal talents for sports. Six taekwondo Brazilian champions of the classes in Complexo do Alemão won an international tournament carried out in Londrina. In Maré, the karate team reached good results in state, national and international championships. In Vila Kennedy, the students won gold medals in Running Rio GP in 2005.

In all units, high quality equipments were offered to the community.  One of them, Centro Esportivo Miécimo da Silva - city reference -, had already given reception to national and international competitions, such as several sport types proofs in 2007 Rio Pan American games, Swimming Worldcup, Gymnastics Worldcup and Judo Blind Worldcup, besides the world wheelchair and amputee games.

The Olympic villages of Rio de Janeiro have teams of multidisciplinary professionals to coordinate the activities, some of them adapted to Special Needs People. On the weekends and holidays, they are open for the communities as a leisure option. Nowadays, more than 26 thousand people are favored.

Still during this year, three new Olympic Villages will start, bringing sports and leisure to Vila Isabel, Mato Alto and Caju dwellers.  Other three places – Cidade das Crianças in Santa Cruz and parks of Deodoro and Ramos - offer leisure activities, which are also guided by specialized professionals.

Take a look at the figures of the Rio Olympic Villages: