Brazil President Dilma Rousseff signed a plan on Thursday, authorizing a surge in spending on athletes and facilities in the hopes that the South American nation will make the top 10 medal table when it hosts the 2016 Olympics.
Dilma Rousseff, Brazil President, said, "The Brazil Medals 2016 Plan will augment what we think is paramount: Firstly, the assistance given directly to the athlete, which will be obtained through the Podium Scholarship and the Coach Scholarship, among other things. And also improving infrastructure, and technology by building training centres."
The initiative, called Medals 2016 Plan, goes into effect immediately and directs the government to spend $700 million over the next four years on high performance athletes alone. It triples the amount in the run-up to the London Games with much of the investment coming from lottery funding.
Two percent of Brazil’s federal lottery money of 70 million dollars goes to the Brazilian Olympic Committee with the rest coming from sponsors, companies, and federal, state and municipal authorities. Brazil, already among the world’s top economies, had a mediocre performance in the London Olympics.
The biggest and most populous country in South America won 17 medals in London, finishing 22nd place in the overall standings. However, officials were frustrated after Brazil managed only three golds and at the general shortage of medals in the swimming pool and on the athletics track. The 2016 hosts have decided to focus more on individual events...in a bid to win more medals in front of their own fans.