Tomorrow begins one of the most anticipated sporting competitions in the world: the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. For the first time, all Portuguese-speaking countries, Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and São Tomé and Príncipe, have secured places for their participation and have already called up their teams for this great event.

What they have in common is more than just culture and language: female participation in delegations is also a highlight among the representatives of these nations, in what will be the first Olympic Games marked by gender equality.

Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Mozambique has had a team training in the French city of Saint-Paul-lès-Dax since July 3rd. The Cape Verdean delegation landed on July 14th in the French region of Parthenay-Gatine. Guinea-Bissau and Angola have already sent part of their delegations to France, while São Tomé and Príncipe, Equatorial Guinea and Timor-Leste are preparing their athletes to continue their journey.

Not counting Brazil and Portugal, there will be more than 40 representatives from the remaining 7 CPLP countries, in 12 modalities.

Among the highlights are the fighters from Guinea-Bissau, Diamantino Fafé, who arrives in Paris ranked 13th in the world in his category (57 kg), followed closely by his compatriot Bacar Ndum who is 16th (74 kg).

Cape Verde, with the largest delegation in its history, has recently stood out in boxing with David Pina and Nancy Moreira and will have an athlete in fencing for the first time, Victor de Oliveira.

Angola boasts current African judo champion Edmilson Pedro and butterfly swimmer Lia Lima, who recently won the silver medal at the African Swimming Championships, both making their Olympic debuts.

São Tomé and Príncipe will have its first participation with judo and the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste will have the presence of swimming.

Angola

Angola is still seeking its first Olympic podium. To date, the country's best result has been with the women's handball team. At Rio 2016, they advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in history and finished in eighth place. They have competed in every Olympic Games since Atlanta 1996.

The sport, once again, is Angola's main hope for a good result in Paris 2024. The team advanced to the second round of the 2023 World Cup, finishing 15th out of 32 countries. The spot was secured thanks to the title of the African Pre-Olympic Championship, held in 2023, in Luanda.

Furthermore, the country's national team includes players from major European leagues, such as France and Romania.

"Now, some are actually playing for the Champions League. Of course, I hope the team benefits from that."

Said Morten Soubak, world handball champion coach with Brazil in 2013 and who worked in Angola.

Brazil

In terms of total participants, Brazil will have difficulty surpassing the 465 athletes from the Rio 2016 Olympics, as the host country was entitled to spots in virtually every event. The Paris team, with 274 athletes, will also fall short of the 302 from Tokyo 2020.

However, the quantity may be smaller, but the quality of the Brazilian team has remained in this Paris 2024 Olympic cycle. It is possible to foresee some unprecedented achievements for the green-yellow delegation.

The goal is to repeat and possibly improve the participation in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the most successful in the country's history, with seven Gold medals, six Silver medals and eight Bronze medals, totaling 21 medals.

Cape Verde

This is Cape Verde's largest delegation in the history of the Olympic Games. Until now, the country had never been represented by more than six athletes. Five different sports will feature Cape Verdeans competing in Paris 2024. The latest addition is fencing, which will debut.

Boxing boasts some standouts from Cape Verde. David Pina secured his spot by winning four fights in the men's 51kg category during the Bangkok 2024 Pre-Olympic Games. The Cape Verdean even considered quitting boxing before his momentous achievement. This is his second Olympic appearance, having reached the round of 2020 in Tokyo XNUMX.

The other boxer from Cape Verde is Ivanusa "Nancy" Moreira, the first woman from the country to compete in Olympic boxing. The Cape Verdean will make her Olympic debut at the age of 35, competing in the women's 66kg category. An Olympic Solidarity scholarship recipient, Nancy won gold at the 2023 African Boxing Championships.

Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau is still searching for its first Olympic podium. To date, the country's best result has been Augusto Midana's in wrestling. At London 2012, he defeated an opponent and finished seventh in the men's freestyle 74kg category. He has competed in four Olympic Games and was the country's flag bearer at Beijing 2008.

It's from this struggle that the main hopes for good results in Paris 2024 arise. Diamantino Iuna Fafé, in the freestyle under 57kg category, and Bacar Ndum, in the freestyle under 74kg, hope to repeat (or even surpass) their compatriot's feat. They secured quotas in the Pre-Olympic tournament for the sport.

Ndum, specifically, enters the Olympics ranked 10th in the world in his category and one of the eight seeds. He starts directly in the round of XNUMX and, with two victories, qualifies him for the medal race.

Equatorial Guinea

In track and field, the country will be represented by two sprinters: Remigio Santander in the men's 100-meter and Sefora Ada in the women's 100-meter. In swimming, Higinio Ndong will compete in the men's 50-meter freestyle.

Athletes from Equatorial Guinea hope to perform well and achieve significant milestones in their respective sports, proudly representing their country at these Olympic Games.

Mozambique

Mozambique's biggest Olympic sports figure is Maria de Lurdes Mutola, who won bronze in the 800m track and field event at Atlanta 1996 and then gold in the same event at Sydney 2000, a career worthy of a movie. Current hopes are pinned primarily on Alcinda Panguana, a standout in Mozambican boxing in the 66kg category.

This will be Alcinda Panguana's second appearance at the Olympic Games. The boxer made her debut at Tokyo 2020 and reached the quarterfinals, one victory away from a bronze medal. In the current cycle, she won gold at the 2023 African Boxing Championships. She also took silver at the African Pre-Olympic Championships and was runner-up at the 2022 World Championships.

Another boxer from the Mozambique delegation is Tiago Muxanga. The 71kg athlete was two fights away from securing a spot at the Bangkok 2024 Pre-Olympic Games. This will be his first appearance at the Games.

Portugal

At the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the delegation will comprise 73 athletes in 15 different sports, with track and field being the most represented, with 22 athletes. The majority of the delegation will be women: in track and field, there will be 13 athletes, compared to nine men, and, in total, 37 Portuguese women will complete the delegation, alongside 36 men.

The goal is to repeat and possibly improve upon Portugal's participation in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the most successful in its history, with four medals won: one Gold, one Silver and two Bronze.

Names like Pedro Pichardo, Olympic champion in Tokyo 2020, and veterans like Fernando Pimenta and Ana Cabecinha, chosen as the delegation's flag bearers, are some of the main highlights. Pedro Pichardo will defend his triple jump title, while Fernando Pimenta will look to improve his performance in canoeing.

However, the absence of Auriol Dongmo, a shot put and discus throw representative who qualified but was left out due to a broken leg during training, which undermined his chances of participating in Paris, stands out.

Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste

In this edition, athletes will attempt new achievements in athletics, swimming, and, for the first time, taekwondo. Hopes are pinned on Manuel Ataide, who will compete in the men's 100-meter track and field.

In swimming, Jolanio Guterres will make his Olympic debut at the age of 19. The Timorese swimmer has competed in the last two World Aquatics Championships and also competed in the 2023 Asian Games. He will compete in the 50m freestyle.

Imelda Ximenes will be competing in the Olympic Games for the second time, having made her debut at Tokyo 2020. The Timorese swimmer has competed in four World Aquatics Championships and two Asian Games. She will compete in the 50m freestyle.

And then we have some news. Taekwondo representative Ana Belo, who will compete in the -49 kg category, will make history with the country's first participation in this sport.

São Tomé and Principe

Gorete Semedo will compete in the women's 100-meter sprint, representing the country's hopes on the track. Hermínia Teixeira will compete in the C-1 200-meter canoeing event. Carrying the country's expectations on her shoulders, the great hope for these games is judoka Roldeney Fernandes, in the -73 kg category, making São Tomé and Príncipe's debut in this event.

Despite having little chance of winning their first Olympic medal, São Tomé and Príncipe hopes to have a significant participation and showcase the growth of the sport in the country.

Conclusion

With representation from Angola, Mozambique, Portugal, Brazil, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, Equatorial Guinea and East Timor, Portuguese-speaking athletes are ready to compete at the highest level and carry the colors of their nations to the podium.

The intense preparation and dedication of each country's athletes demonstrates their commitment to sport and their hope of achieving new feats. Regardless of the results, just being at the Olympic Games is a victory worth celebrating.

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