Sarah Menezes Is One of the Ambassadors of the Youth School Games
The 15 to 17 year-old stage begins this Friday, November 7th, in João Pessoa
The unprecedented gold at the London Olympics from two years ago made the judoka Sarah Menezes be a national hero and source of inspiration for the young Brazilian talents. Taking on this charge, the athlete from Piauí is now one of the 13 ambassadors of the greatest sports event for young people in Brazil, the Youth School Games, whose opening takes place on Thursday, November 6th, in João Pessoa, Paraíba. The event gathers more 4.000 young athletes aged 15 to 17 who compete in 13 different sports, including judo.
Sarah became a champion twice in the School Games, before entering the history due to her performance in London. As an ambassador, she will contribute to the training of athletes / students in and out of competition, by running lectures, cultural activities, besides taking part in local competition and further encouraging the spreading of the judo values.
"I consider the Youth School Games to be important for all children and young people who have the opportunity to take part in, because they represent the beginning of their career. It is as if these young athletes were participating to the senior Olympics, considering the discipline of the training, the integration of each team, the contribution of the family and of all who are involved in the event ", Sarah said during this afternoon’s news conference held in the capital of Paraiba. "This BOC’s initiative is vital for the development of the Brazilian sport, and I'm sure that from here the future Olympic Brazilian medalists will come out."
Just as the Olympic champion, the other big names of the Brazilian sport have gone through the School Games. The delegation who defended in 2012 the colors of Brazil had 17 athletes discovered in JEJ's such as Mayra Aguiar and Sarah Menezes themselves.
In this edition, the judo competitions will take part on November 7th, 8th and 9th at the gym of the Poet Ronaldo Cunha Lima Convention Center. The Youth School Games are organized and conducted by the Olympic Committee of Brazil, in partnership with the Ministry of Sport and Globo Organizations, with support from the Government of the Paraiba State and the Town Hall of João Pessoa.
