Brazilian Government Invests $2M In First Weightlifting Training Center

Brazilian weightlifting "will receive a modern training center in the coming months" as a result of an approximately R$6M ($2M) investment from the country's ministries of sports and defense, according to Flávio Dilascio of GLOBO ESPORTE. The center will be built in Rio de Janeiro's Adalberto Nunes Center for Physical Education (CEFAN). Construction will "begin in July, with an inauguration planned" for March '16. Currently, Brazilian weightlifting "does not rely on a training center specific to the sport." Weightlifter Fernando Reis said, "This will be a great legacy for the 2016 Olympics, as it will be the first gym specifically for weightlifting in Brazil. It will have 1,500 square meters [of space], 25 training platforms and one main competing level. We can say that it will be the most equipped training center in Latin America." The gym will also be "available to foreign teams" (GLOBO ESPORTE, 5/26).