The Rio 2016 education programme, Transforma, has been expanded again and will now promote the Olympic and Paralympic values to school children beyond the borders of Rio de Janeiro state. It was announced on Wednesday (April 1) that the programme will be added to the curriculums of 74 schools in the city of Belo Horizonte, the capital of neighbouring state Minas Gerais.

Up to now, Transforma has been present in 349 schools in the state of Rio. With the additions of the new schools, about 275,000 youngsters will benefit from the programme. As well as promoting the Olympic and Paralympic values and bringing pupils and teachers closer the Games, Tranforma introduces Olympic and Paralympic sports, such as rugby, to the schools and their local communities.

“This partnership demonstrates our commitment to involve the whole country in the educational legacy of the Games,” said Mariana Behr, Rio 2016’s head of education.

Transforma is scheduled to be expanded to other regions of Brazil this year, while teachers from across the country can also download teaching materials and lesson suggestions from the programme’s website.