After the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the Brazilian hockey community witnessed one more time moments of excitement and hope for the future of the sport in the country last weekend. On June, 3rd and 4th, the Federal University’s Hockey Training Center, in Rio de Janeiro, received the Men’s national Hockey5’s championship. The Training Center is one of the facilities built for the Olympic Games last year and it has been the home for Brazilian national hockey tournaments since September.
The tournament had 11 teams in the under-18 competition and 5 teams in the under-15. These numbers marks the growing path of hockey in Brazil and brings hope for a continuous increase in the number of players and people involved with hockey in the country.
A familiar atmosphere and great goals were the highlights of the weekend, along with a loud crowd of parents who made the chorus of fans from the sidelines.
With an unprecedented number of more than 50 games over two days, the marvelous city of Rio had a blasting sport’s spectacle time, where the protagonists will most likely to be in the spotlight in senior division and Brazilian U-21 national squads in the next years.
After super exciting games, Sociedade Germânia, a traditional club from Rio de Janeiro, won the U-15 tournament, while Clube Doze de Agosto, from Santa Catarina, got the glory in the U-18. Sociedade Germania is also the current champion in the senior’s men’s division and the club with most national titles in Brazilian hockey. On the other hand, Clube Doze de Agosto arose from a project from Hoquei Clube Desterro for underprivileged children in the city of Florianópolis, and has proven in the last two years of consecutive titles that their players can be as successful in hockey as in life.
Finally, between smiles and tears, Brazilian hockey was the big winner of the weekend. Among so many young players, it is impossible to deny the hope of parents and hockey enthusiasts who look to the future of the sport and see its growth between the sticks of these kids.
