Nike partners Rio to engage children in sport
16/11/2015
Twenty-one villages will receive training in youth programming, plus Nike product and equipment. In addition, the villages of Encantado, Caju, Mato Alto and Acari will be renovated and host brand activities and engagement with Nike athletes.
“The Olympic Games are such a great opportunity for all kids to see and experience a variety of sports, and see those men and women playing and winning and overcoming obstacles,” said Alice Gismonti, Nike’s director of community impact in Brazil. “Especially for the girls, this will be an amazing opportunity to start seeing themselves as athletes.”
Nike consulted the city and its community representatives, youth experts, NGOs and local artists and others to learn about life in the neighbourhoods, as many of the sites are situated in the city’s most under-resourced areas, with safety concerns, lack of infrastructure or other issues that limit mobility. On average, children in these communities only play within a mile from home.
“We have over 160 neighbourhoods and 6.4 million people in Rio,” added Ms Gismonti. “It would be impossible to transport kids to the programme; we need to bring the program to the kids. If we can build a platform throughout the city where those kids can start experiencing sport in all its dimensions, and where they can count on participating in those activities after the Games end, we can change how this new generation of kids will look at sport.”
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