Cesar Cielo plans to establish Pro-16 for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games - Swimming News
The 2008 Beijing Olympic champion, Cesar Cielo, plans to establish a professional swim training club in Sao Paulo, naming the scheme as Pro-16 to prepare for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
The Brazilian swimmer expressed his intention to form a training club in Sao Paulo, while the cost of the scheme is likely to exceed a little more than USD $1 million. The initiative is about to gain support from the state government subsequent to the discussion
between Cielo’s mother, Flavia and Brazilian Sports Minister, Orlando Silva Jr.
The Pro-16 stands with the mission to be successful at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. Cielo will work with sprinters and his relay team-members, Santos, Cerdeira, Leonardo de Deus and Oliveira under the leadership of coach, Alberto Silva, to prepare well for
the home event.
Cielo won the gold medal in the 50m freestyle and a bronze medal in the 100m freestyle at the Beijing Olympics. He secured the gold medals in both events at the 2009 Rome World Long Course Championships, while he also defended his titles at the 2010 Dubai
World Short Course Championships. He also claimed two bronze medals in the 4*100m freestyle relay and the 4*100m medley relay at the 2010 World Championships.
The 24-year-old Cielo won three medals at the 2010 Irvine Pan Pacific Championships, including a gold in the 50m butterfly, silver in the 50m freestyle and a bronze in the 100m freestyle.
The accomplishments of the Brazilian swimmer are not limited to these medals only, as he is also the Olympic record holder of the 50m freestyle at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the world record holder of the same event at the 2009 World Titles.
Cielo's success story was publicised at the Olympic Centre of Training in Sao Paulo, earlier this year. The funding for his scheme is likely to come from the sponsorship attracted by Cielo’s success.
The Olympic champion, who is preparing to defend his title at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, expressed that he will spend his majority of his time in Brazil to prepare for the 2012 London Olympics.
He also aims to display some magnificent swims at the 2016 home Olympics by formulating the Pro-16. The swimmer stressed that Pro-16 will result in a two-way benefit, giving advantage to the Brazilian swimming crew to enhance their swims for the home Olympics
and to increase the interest of youth in competitive swimming.
Cielo's mother had a discussion with the Silva Jr. last January, which is likely to shift the flow of public funds towards the scheme. His mother said, “The Minister liked our idea and said that it is going to work out a plan for funds for the scheme to
flow through an institution we can tie the knot with - probably the COB (Confederation of Brazilian Swimming).”
She claimed to handle the scheme with Cielo’s father, Cesar Augusto, to smoothen the implementation of the initiative.
The Brazilian champion is certain that the Pro-16 can contribute immensly towards the improvement of Brazilian swimming. He added that proper implementation of the plan will surely increase competition among the estimated 206 nations, which are expected
to compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
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