Government of Pará delivers the Bolsa Talento to over 190 athletes
The benefit guarantees financial support for 12 months, allowing athletes to focus exclusively on sports preparation
The Government of Pará, through the State Secretariat of Sports and Leisure (Seel), delivered on the morning of this Thursday (26), the scholarships of the Bolsa Talento Program (Base Year 2023). A total of R$ 1.9 million is allocated to support 193 athletes and coaches who achieved significant results in state, national, and international competitions.
Created by Law 7.119/2008, the Bolsa Talento guarantees financial support for 12 months and allows athletes to invest in equipment, food, travel, and registrations, focusing exclusively on sports preparation. In total, 21 sports modalities were benefited, with a highlight on two Paralympic sports (PCD Judo and Wheelchair Basketball), nominated by 21 sports entities.
The governor of Pará, Helder Barbalho, emphasized the strengthening of sports through sponsorship and incentive programs carried out for the benefit of athletes.
“We are strengthening various sports modalities with support, sponsorship, and the Bolsa Talento so that we can ensure the support for these athletes, who are spread across gyms, in the Usinas da Paz, who have the support of federations, so that we can put the name of our State more and more in first place, through sports, ensuring values, discipline, ethics, respect for others, inclusion, strengthening education and ensuring that sports is the opportunity to discover talents, strengthening these individuals, so that we can make the sports of Pará victorious. And to prioritize sports, understanding that sports is not just the practice of a sporting event, but families that are involved,” said the governor.
The governor also highlighted the importance of support in discovering new talents and taking young people off the streets. “This support ensures that children can be discovered and have opportunities so that they do not stray into the world of drugs, into the world of violence. Therefore, this network of support, sponsorship, and ensuring that we can identify and promote, making these athletes victorious,” he concluded.
The distribution of funds follows three tiers: 137 state athletes will receive R$ 750.45; 49 national athletes, R$ 1,125.63; one international athlete, R$ 1,125.63; and 6 coaches, R$ 900.49. The definitive list of beneficiaries was published in the State Official Gazette (DOE) and on the Seel website, ensuring transparency in the selection process, which included registration, document analysis, and a deadline for appeals.
With the benefit, Pará strengthens its policy of incentive for high-performance sports and ensures conditions for local talents to represent the State on the main podiums in the country and the world.
The artistic gymnastics athlete, Ana Luísa, 14 years old, one of the beneficiaries of the Bolsa Talento, highlighted the benefits that the financial support will bring to her development and performance in the modality. “It will definitely encourage me to continue in gymnastics in terms of investments. Many things like my clothing, accommodation, food, will bring many benefits for me and for all the athletes here. This will certainly help us a lot in terms of financial conditions and will greatly benefit us in the scenario of national and even international competitions,” said the athlete.
The head of Seel, Cássio Andrade, emphasized the importance of the benefit and also the significant investments that the State has made in Pará sports.
“The Government of the State of Pará delivered today almost 2 million reais to nearly 200 athletes. These are athletes who have won medals in recent years in national and international competitions, they are top athletes who carry the flag of Pará in all competitions. In addition to these 2 million from the Bolsa Talento, every year we are delivering around 4.5 million reais in the Athlete Sponsorship project, which goes directly to the athlete's account. These are sponsorships that the Government of the State has been providing, taking the name of Pará sports to the main stages of national and world sports. Several athletes participated in various competitions around the world, sponsored by the Government of the State last year, with more than two thousand athletes receiving the funds. It is worth noting that, especially the Bolsa Talento, are athletes nominated by their respective federations, top athletes who have been scoring in their competitions and who are approved by a technical committee,” said the secretary.
The secretary also highlights: “Pará today is the State that invests the most public money for athletes in our country. From our State, and we do this with great pride, not counting the investments we are making in the area of sports, in the construction of squares, courts, and important works like the 'Mangueirão Olympic Park', which will be another space for sports and leisure for the people of Pará,” he concluded.
