Rio de Janeiro's city government announced on Wednesday that it will sponsor the practice of badminton after a Brazilian pair won a bronze medal in the Pan American Games, a feat never before achieved by the country.
According to a statement signed by Rio's Mayor Cesar Maia, the government has ordered a research on the costs to implement the sport in the city, such as the prices for rackets and shuttlecocks, as well as for the construction of badminton courts.
The document stated that the policy's main aim is to stimulate the citizens to play badminton in schools, public squares, beaches, communities and sports complexes. The government expects to gather up to 500,000 people in the practice of the sport, barely known among Brazilians.
The promotion of the so-called "amateur" sports is regarded as one of the consequences of the Pan Am Games, which started in Rio on July 13 and will last up to July 29.
Actually, the Brazilian Badminton Confederation revealed that the number of registered clubs that host the sport has doubled over the past two years, a possible early effect of the Games, announced to be taking place in Rio more than four years ago.
On Monday, players Guilherme Pardo and Guilherme Kumasaka passed on to the semifinals in the men's badminton tournament. On the next day, they lost to the U.S. combination Howard Bach and Bob Malaythong in the semifinal match, which awarded them the more-than-welcome bronze medal.
"The bronze is a dream come true," said Kumasaka on Tuesday.
Source: Xinhua
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