Faced with the tragedies experienced by the population of Rio Grande do Sul, members of the Brazilian Rowing Team chose not to participate in the Pre-Olympics to dedicate themselves to helping victims of the floods that are ravaging the state.
Athletes Alef Fontoura, from Pinheiros, Evaldo Becker, from Flamengo, Piedro Tuchtenhagen and Daniel Lima, from Grêmio Náutico União, joined other volunteers involved in the rescue operations, which help families and animals in the Moinhos de Vento neighborhood, in Porto Alegre .
“Piedro and I chose not to go to the Pre-Olympics with our families and friends in the midst of this chaos”, reported Evaldo.
The concentrated athletes at the GNU headquarters also report difficulties they face in rescues as they do not have enough boats. “We have guides and material to rescue more people, but at the moment we don’t have a boat to continue our work,” said Alef.
Alef Fontoura, Evaldo Becker, Daniel Lima and Piedro Tuchtenhagen alongside volunteers at the GNU Sports headquarters
Pre-Olympic Canoeing
The disputes in the tournament that classifies canoeists for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games They take place on May 19th and 21st. The competition will be held in Switzerland.
Tragedy in Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul has been in a state of public calamity since last Monday (29), when storms began in the state. Floods devastated several cities in Rio Grande do Sul and killed thousands of people. This Thursday (9), according to information from Civil Defense, the number of deaths is 107. There are still 136 missing.
In the 425 affected municipalities, there are 1,476,170 people affected, 374 injured, 67,542 in shelters and 164,583 homeless. There is one death under investigation.
