President Lula honours Brazilian Olympic medalists: Video

In Brasília on Monday, August 26, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met nearly three dozen Brazilian athletes who competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Brazil won 20 medals at the Games, including three gold, seven silver, and ten bronze, ranking 20th overall. The delegation of 276 athletes included many who benefit from the federal Athlete Grant welfare programme.

Lula used the occasion to emphasise the significance of investing in sports, especially for underprivileged youth. “Let's mark today as a new era for sport in this country,” he said. “I want to help this country be a country that bets big on kids who dedicate themselves to practising sport.”

He praised the athletes as inspirations for young Brazilians and, in a fun moment, invited two skateboarders to perform kickflips on the marble floor of the presidential palace.