The president of the Olympic Committee of Portugal asks for more support for athletes and federations. José Manuel Constantino makes a positive assessment of the games in Tokyo, but says that the Portuguese have the capacity to obtain better results.

José Manuel Constantino believes that it would be important for the next government to “give a signal” to athletes, coaches and federations, increase the amount of funding for the Olympics, after some games that were the best ever for Portugal.

“Of course, what any government official would like to announce to the country and, above all, to the sports system was that the means of support for the Olympic preparation were superior to those that were used in the past, because that is the line being followed in international terms” , defended the president of the Olympic Committee of Portugal (COP).

While he is not sure that the government recognition shown when winning medals in Tokyo2020 will translate into an increase in funding for the next Olympic cycle, José Manuel Constantino recalled that the organization he presides over presented “a proposal that reflects this objective, this concern” to the Government of António Costa, which was refuted.

“I fully understand that, on the part of the Government, there may be reservations or different understandings regarding this matter. Even with the desire to increase the financial package, it may fall short of what we suggested, but that is why there are talks, interlocution, dialogue. What I hope is that the next Government, whichever it may be, will take into account the proposal that we have presented and can talk with us in order to find, if not the solution that we have presented, one that allows for an intellectual change in what is the support to the associative tissue […] for participation in the Olympic Games in Paris, “he expressed.

José Manuel Constantino explained that the proposal presented by the COP contained “an alteration to the scholarships of athletes and coaches”, that is, “an increase”, as well as “a different graduation that would translate into financial support, when compared to the exercise previous of [mais] 36%”.

“And the Government, at the time, had in the proposal, which later was not approved, an increase that was below this amount. He explained to us that he had no conditions. We understand that we can even approach the values ​​proposed by the Government if we reduce the period of incidence of this support. Imagine that we deal with a financial package until the Paris Games… it’s one thing. We deal with a financial package up to a year after Paris2024, considering the Los Angeles Games2028, it’s another thing “, exemplified.

The official said that he then told the Government that he was available to “negotiate the deadline” for the offer of support, “as is happening in this cycle”, no value qualifications for the post-Tokyo2020 year were channeled to a preparation for a competition, postponed a year due to the covid-19 pandemic.

“We did not spend one euro in excess of what was planned, even with the Games being postponed, even with an expense to support athletes, coaches and federations higher than what we had estimated, because the expense we had estimated was only related to to athletes who achieved results in 2020 at the Games [e] automatically transferred to Paris, which will only happen in 2022 – it has been happening since September until now”, he explained.

Noting that the COP managed to “fit all the support for Olympic preparation in the financial package” that was assigned, Constantino now hopes for “the constitution of the next Government” so that talks can be resumed and focus on shortening the “application period of the next financial package “destined for Paris2024.

“I think it was very important, whatever the Government, to give this signal to athletes, federations, coaches. We are going to change cycles, basically we work with an amount that comes from Rio2016. We worked on two cycles with a level of funding equivalent and I think that this cycle that we are going to start, given the results achieved by our athletes, would deserve, on the part of the Government, a signal of reinforcement”, he reiterated.

Very critical of the ‘forgetfulness’ that the government of António Costa voted for sport during the covid-19 pandemic, the president of the COP assumed, in an interview with Lusa, that he was “satisfied” with the fact that the members of the executive, as well as the President of the Republic, if they could be congratulated on the achievements of Portuguese athletes in Tokyo2020.

“I was satisfied that we recognized the success of our athletes, as I would be sad if there were no such manifestation of recognition. I believe that our governors took the public positions they were expected to take in the face of a success that was not just for the athletes, it was a success of Portugal”, he completed.

Constantino also addressed the promised reception of the Olympic medalists at the Belém Palace, revealing that it has not yet been scheduled.

“The President of the Republic met me at the ceremony to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the presidency of Fernando Gomes [Federação Portuguesa de Futebol] and you spoke to me about it, I would like to close it. It is on the side of the Presidency’s services to find the most adequate data so that the will that the President of the Republic may manifest to translate into the act that he himself announced to the country”, he pointed out.

Evoking the Christmas period, a moment of “concord”, to avoid the controversy surrounding the delay in receiving and honoring Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s medals in Tokyo 2020, which took place between July 23 and July 8 In August, the president of the COP said he did not want to “add anything else” to what he had already said – he regretted the different treatment given to the selection of futsal, received by the Head of State days after becoming world champion.

“I want this matter to be resolved as quickly as possible. And as quickly as possible it does not depend on our will, it naturally depends on the commitments of the Presidency of the Republic and the will of the President of the Republic regarding this act”, he concluded.