The coach of the Brazilian women’s volleyball team, José Roberto Guimarães, will receive the Adhemar Ferreira da Silva Trophy, which is awarded to sports personalities who represent the values that marked the career and life of the two-time Olympic champion in the triple jump (such as ethics, efficiency technique and physics, sportsmanship, respect for others, companionship and collective spirit), informed the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) this Thursday (5).
The tribute to the three-time Olympic champion will be held at the Brazil Olympic Award (PBO) ceremony, held by the COB, next Wednesday (11), at Vivo Rio.
“In each cycle there is a different generation, but what I believe we have done well is the philosophy does not change. The idea of how important it is to be among the best in the world, to participate in the Games, a gold medal, how important it is to represent 220 million Brazilians. It’s like a family in which the parents try to transfer values. These are the values of our team, which we have maintained for years”, declared the coach, who also has an Olympic silver and bronze medal on his CV.
Zé Roberto has been in charge of the women’s team for 21 years, acting according to very clear principles: “The result cannot be achieved at any cost, but because of what you fought for, because of all the sacrifice you made. My whole life has been like this. I really believe in the Olympic spirit. Family values, the values that my father taught me, the values that I carry as a legacy from Bebeto, Jorjão [Jorge Barros]by Paulo Márcio, are values that I try to convey that are important.”
For the experienced coach, receiving an award called the Adhemar Ferreira da Silva Trophy is an honor: “I am very honored with the award for two reasons. First, due to the admiration for Adhemar Ferreira da Silva, his significance for Brazilian and World sport. And secondly, for the recognition of COB in this honor. Being one of the Brazilians to receive this honor makes me very happy, because it was a teenager’s dream to represent my country, to wear the national team’s shirt, it was my biggest dream that I managed to achieve.”
