Spectators and athletes attending the 2016 IPC Swimming European Open Championships in Portugal will be treated to a special appearance at the start of the meet. The championships, slated for April 30th – May 7th in Funchal on the island of Madeira, Portugal, will hear the sister of soccer (football) star Cristiano Ronaldo sing the Portuguese national anthem.
Katia Aveiro is an ambassador for Funchal 2016, the meet at which approximately 450 swimmers representing 50 countries will compete. The event will be held at the Complexo Olimpico de Piscinas de Penteada.
“It’s such a great honour to sing the anthem of my country, which I love so much, in my native island, with its sea, its people and at an event that I admire so much. This is a dream I did not even know would come true,” Madeiran singer Aveiro said on her blog. “You start to get nervous. … You know I do not like to leave anything to chance so I have started the preparations to ensure everything runs perfectly!”
Ronaldo, Katia’s brother, currently plays his club football for Spanish giants Real Madrid and was born in Funchal in February 1985.
F’reals?