After Rio Olympics, Brazil Sees a Stampede of Foreign Coaches Leaving

01/03/2017 - 15h47

The end of the Olympic cycle has caused a stampede of foreign coaches who had been contracted to help prepare Brazilian teams for the Rio Games.

Of the 56 coaches who had been working in 26 different sporting categories and had contracts with either the COB (Brazilian Olympic Committee) or sports confederations themselves, it's been estimated that only one third will remain with the country until the next Olympics, in Tokyo.

The COB is still in negotiations with some of them and hopes to have a more consolidated scenario by the end of the first quarter of 2017. Others have already left or have indicated that they plan to resign from their teams.

The reasons that the coaches, many who are worth their weight in gold, are leaving vary: lack of results, inability to adapt, and the financial crisis the country is undergoing and the resulting drying up of investments in sports.

The list of leaders who have left the country includes Morten Soubak, from Denmark (who led the female handball team to their first victories: the 2013 world championship and sixth position in the 2012 London Games, Rubén Magnano, from Argentina (from the male basketball team), Ratko Rudic, a Croatian (from the male aquatic polo team) and Alexander Alexandrov, a Russian (from artistic gymnastics).

The minority of foreigners who have chosen to remain in Brazil until the next Olympic cycle have something in common: their participation was critical in medals won during the Games.

Jesús Morlan, a 54-year-old Spaniard, coached Isaquias Queiroz through his three podium victories (two silver and one bronze) in the Olympic Games. Ucranian Vitaly Petrov also coached Thiago Braz, Olympic Champion in the pole vault. Yuko Fujii, Japonese, was contracted in 2013 to help prepare the female judo team and her contract was renewed until 2020.

Under her leadership, the female team finished at Rio-2016 with two podium positions: a gold medal by Rafaela Silva and a bronze by Mayra Aguiar.

Translated by LLOYD HARDER

Read the article in the original language