A group of Brazilian swimmers, including superstars from past and present, have signed an open letter to their federation (the CBDA) calling for reform.
The CBDA is mired in a scandal that this week came to a head when the long-time federation president Coarcy Nunes was arrested, and the organization lost its most visible sponsor of 26 years, the national postal service Correios, cancelled their sponsorship agreement.
In the letter, written in Portuguese and addressed to the Brazilian president and the Brazilian Olympic Committee, the swimmers write that water sports in Brazil are at imminent risk due to “questions of alleged administrative impropriety.”
The letter asks for minimum support from the government and BOC so that Brazil’s aquatic athletes may continue to compete while their federation is in disarray. They ask that scheduled competitions are guaranteed, ask for a transparent election of the athletes’ commission (after the prior nominations were cancelled), that a new president be put in charge of the CBDA, and that they “do not lack the basic money in otder to CONTINUE INSPIRING GENERATIONS.”
The letter, which Bruno Fratus posted on his official Facebook page on Friday, is signed by a roster of Brazilian juggernauts. Besides Fratus, the signees include Olympic champion and World Record holder Cesar Cielo, World Record holder Etiene Medeiros; Olympic medalists Thiago Pereira, Poliana Okimoto and Fernando Scherer; and a host of other Brazilian stars.
Read the letter in full in Fratus’ Facebook post below:
Well done Bruno – its time to step up to Big corruptions going on behind the scenes .
I have met Fernando and Poliana – great persons and ambassadors!