When was Brazil’s first participation?

The Olympic Games have a long history, from their origins in Athens, Greece, to the present day. The event, which will begin this week in Paris, France, is quite different from the ceremonies held in antiquity, which, according to legend, were established as a way to venerate the ancient gods.

The first edition of the modern Olympic Games took place in 1896, with the participation of 14 countries and 241 male athletes, since women were still prohibited from competing at that time. Brazil was not among the countries that participated in this first Olympics, making its debut only in the sixth edition, held in the city of Antwerp, Belgium, between April 12 and September 20, 1920.

The Brazilian Olympic Committee had been founded only six years earlier, in June 1914, but since World War I prevented the 1916 Olympic Games from taking place, Brazil was only able to participate four years after the tragedy. Furthermore, the Games in Antwerp lasted only about five months, since technological advances at the time were limited.

During the competitions, Brazil was represented by 21 athletes, who competed in the sports of shooting, diving, rowing, water polo and swimming. The first Brazilian medal was awarded to Afranio da Costawho won second place (silver) in the 50m free pistol. In the 50m military pistol, Afranio won the bronze medal together with his team, which consisted of athletes Dario Barbosa, Fernando Soledad, Guilherme Paraense It is Sebastian Wolf.

The day after the conquest, the Army lieutenant, Guilherme Paraensewon the gold medal in the 25m rapid fire single-handedly. In fact, in that edition of the Olympic Games, some materials that would be necessary for the Brazilians to participate in the competition were stolen on the ship trip to Europe, which caused the North American athletes to lend them their equipment, including their revolvers.

In the diving, rowing, water polo and swimming events, there were no medalists, making shooting the highlight of the event. Since then, Brazil has accumulated a total of 37 gold medals, 42 silver medals and 71 bronze medals at the Olympic Games.