| "> | | | | years, it has won a number of international medals and |
| Road to London 2012! | | | | special awards. Toward the end of the 2000s, for |
| Athletics | | | | example, this Portuguese-speaking nation placed |
| Did you know- After winning the gold medal in the | | | | second, behind only the United States, in the Games of |
| women's long jump at the 2008 Summer Olympics in | | | | the 29th Olympiad in the People's Republic of China. |
| Beijing (China), Maurren Higa Maggi has become a | | | | Four years ago, the South American country also was |
| new idol in Brazil. Historically, she is the first female | | | | runner-up in the Summer Games in Athens, Greece's |
| athlete from South America to win an individual | | | | capital. Prior to the 2008 Olympics, Brazil had captured |
| Olympic gold medal. She was born on June 25, 1976, in | | | | its second consecutive Pan American gold medal |
| Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo, Brazil. | | | | when it, the local team, routed the States 5-0 in Rio de |
| Basketball | | | | Janeiro. On the other hand, the female team came in |
| Did you know- With passion, discipline, and Olympic | | | | second place in the last World Tournament. |
| spirit, the Brazilian women's national basketball squad | | | | Volleyball |
| made history when they, against all odds, captured the | | | | * Did you know- Brazil, the world's fifth biggest country, |
| 1994 FIBA World Cup in Australia. Led by its veteran | | | | is famous for its women's volleyball team since the |
| star Hortencia Marcari, one of Latin America's most | | | | mid-1990s when it earned a bronze medal at the |
| high-profile athletes from 1983 to 1996, Brazil beat | | | | Atlanta Olympic Games. From then on, Brazil is home |
| China 96 -87 in the final. That day, on June 12, 1994, | | | | to a handful of spectacular players, such as Fernanda |
| was a historic date for Brazil. One day before, in the | | | | Venturi (1, 81m) and Ana Mozer (1, 84m), as well as |
| semi-finals, the South American team defeated the | | | | Marcia Cunha (1, 86m), Walleska Oliveira (1,90m) and |
| United States 110-107. Brazil was the first | | | | Thaisa Menezes (1,96m), among others world-class |
| non-American/European team to gain the Women's | | | | athletes. Following winning the gold in Beijing 2008, |
| Basketball World Cup. This Portuguese-speaking | | | | Brazil captured the Under-18 World Cup in Nakhan |
| country has hosted the FIBA World Championship four | | | | Ratchasima, Thailand, in 2009, and as a result, it is a |
| times: 1957, 1971, 1983, and 2006. | | | | heavy favorite to win the Youth Olympic Games in |
| Soccer | | | | Singapore City in August 2010. Behind soccer, volleyball |
| Did you know- The women's soccer squad from Brazil | | | | is the country's most popular sport, from Recife and |
| is the most successful team in Latin America. In recent | | | | Curitiba to Brasilia and Belem do Para. |