On August 3, the Brazilian Naval Academy held a ceremony in recognition of the cooperation between the Brazilian Navy and the United States Olympic Committee during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The highlight of the event was the unveiling of a plaque with the names of the 49 American medalists who trained at the Naval Academy during the Games.
The partnership, through which the Naval Academy offered its facility to the American athletes, further strengthened the historic ties between the Brazilian Navy and the U.S. Navy. From July 8 to August 23, 2016, 129 Olympic competitors from the United States trained on historic Villegagnon Island, home to the Naval Academy.
On August 5, 2016, then Secretary of State John Kerry, visited the Academy and the athletes training there and toured the training facilities for the Olympic team.
The August 3 event was attended by the Director General of Navy Personnel, Admiral of Fleet Ilques Barbosa Júnior, Commander General of the Marine Corps, Vice Admiral Alexandre José Barreto Mattos, the Navy’s Teaching Director, Vice Admiral Antonio Fernando Garcez Faria, the Naval School Commander, Rear Admiral Newton de Almeida Costa Neto, the Commander of the Physical Education Center, Admiral Adalberto Nunes, Rear Admiral Pedro Luiz Gueiros Taulois, as well as the Brazilian Olympic Committee Representative, Army General Augusto Heleno. American Ambassador P. Michael McKinley, U.S. Consul General in Rio de Janeiro, James Story, and U.S. Naval Attaché, Captain of Sea and War, Benedict Clark were also among the guests.
