MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UK minister arrives in Brazil to cheer for England and promote business and tourism

As the Equalities minister, Ms Grant will see some of Brazil's sport social inclusion programs that are making 'such a difference to people’s lives'

UK Minister for Sport, Tourism and Equalities Helen Grant arrives in Sao Paulo on Wednesday to cheer for the English team in the World Cup, and to share experience and promote the values and policies that transform social reality.

 “I am looking forward to coming to Brazil to back England in the World Cup and to bang the drum for British business and tourism, encouraging Brazilians to come and experience the best of Britain and do business with us“, said Minister Grant.

While in Brazil, ”I will see some of your sport social inclusion programs that are making such a difference to people’s lives. Football can be such a force for good, encouraging better communication, teamwork and teaching people important lessons for life about discipline and how to deal with winning and losing. It brings communities and people from all walks of life together”.

With a degree in Law from the University of Hull, Grant worked as a family solicitor and focused her legal work on the problems of family breakdown.

Minister Grant is scheduled to visit the NGO J12 Institute of Sport, a futsal school for women, founded by Antonio Videira Junior, and by the Women’s Futsal champion Jessiquinha. Both decided to found the institute to welcome girls and women who live in vulnerable conditions and fragile family structure.

“The woman is the pillar of households in the communities, and in their absence, children are lured into crime. We must get to the girls and female teens, offering the sport to develop socialisation, self-esteem, social inclusion.” said Junior. “We are proud to see women who have been here currently enrolled in college and running their own business, managing to overcome the enormous challenges of life they have faced.”

On the 19th, Minister Grant will attend the demonstration of a new technology of sports narration for the visually impaired in transmission at the Match Screening Area of the GREAT Britain House, at the Brazilian British Centre in Pinheiros. This technology, created by FIFA, is being implemented in some stadiums by the Brazilian entity URECE, hired by CAFE - Centre for Access to Football in Europe. Participants can experience the technology and also try to narrate a game using techniques of oral description of reactions and visible emotions of players, so viewers with visual difficulties may experience more vividly the excitement of the game.

Another highlight of Helen Grant’s agenda in São Paulo will be the opening of the Mega Sporting Events: The Legacy of 2012 seminar, alongside British Ambassador in Brazil, Alex Ellis.

With the London 2012 Games’ experience and the challenges that lie ahead in Rio 2016, British and Brazilian experts will meet on the 18th to discuss communication strategies, sponsorship and brand activation in major sporting events.

The seminar will feature Mike Lee, Chair of Vero Communications, Rogério Dezembro, Director of WTorre and Michael Cole, Managing Director of Innovision and former Director of Marketing and Communications, Sport and Legacy at British Telecom for London 2012.

After the seminar, there will be a reception attended by Greg Dyke, chairman of the Football Association of England, Sir Trevor Brooking, the FA’s Director of Football Development in England and former England player, and Sir Tim Rice, lyricist, composer of the soundtrack for The Lion King and winner of awards such as the Oscars, Golden Globe, the Grammys and the Tony Awards.

The British cyclist Hugh Thompson will also attend the reception – he traveled through 25,000 kilometers and 25 countries from the UK to Brazil, including France, Belgium, Germany, Uganda, Kenya, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, Colombia and Paraguay after 10 months road. With this trip, Thompson intends to raise funds for HIV education.