The Ministry of Sports announced new guidelines for the Bolsa Atleta, Podium Athlete category. The measure, published in the Official Gazette of the Union, aims to improve the program aimed at high-performance athletes in Olympic, Paralympic and Deaflympic sports.
One of the main changes is the exclusion of athletes involved in match-fixing. This restriction applies to both new applicants and current beneficiaries, who will be removed from the program if their involvement is proven.
Updated eligibility criteria and amounts
To qualify, athletes must be among the top 20 in the world or Olympic rankings of their sport. In the case of deaflympic athletes, the requirement extends to individual or pair events.
The stock exchange values were readjusted and divided into four categories:
- R$ 16,629 for athletes in the top three of the international ranking
- R$ 12,195 for positions from 4th to 8th place
- R$8,869 for placements between 9th and 16th
- R$5,543 for athletes between 17th and 20th place
The ordinance also maintains the benefit for pregnant or postpartum athletes. Furthermore, since last year, the Pódio Grant has included guide athletes, assistant athletes and similar athletes in specific sports such as Paratriathlon, Paracycling, Bocce and Paralympic Athletics.
Therefore, the registration notice will be published soon, according to information from the Ministry of Sports.
About the Bolsa Atleta
Bolsa Atleta is one of the largest direct incentive programs for athletes in the world. Created in 2005, it supports high-performance athletes, ensuring minimum conditions for training and competitions.
Since 2012, it has allowed other sponsorships, expanding athletes’ sources of funding. The Podium Athlete category, the highest, benefits athletes with chances of medals in the Olympic, Paralympic and Deaflympic Games.
Therefore, the program has already invested approximately R$347 million, benefiting 815 athletes with 2,605 scholarships.
