\nSAO PAULO: Launched last year during an economic forum that gathered Brazil and Arab nations, the Ryadah Sports Committee recently announced its plan to incentivize partnerships between the South American country and Middle Eastern sports businesses.<\/p>\n
\nThe group was created by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce \u2014 known as CCAB in Portuguese \u2014 a few months before the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, when relations between the Brazilian sports industry and Gulf nations were greatly strengthened.<\/p>\n
\nNot only did athletes and tourists from Brazil have a chance to visit the Middle East, but hundreds of Brazilians worked directly and indirectly in the organization of the event and in tourism opportunities connected to it, instigating a growing cultural and economic exchange.<\/p>\n
\nHeaded by mixed martial arts legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira \u2014 whose chain of martial arts gyms includes a branch in Dubai \u2014 Ryadah gathers former football managers who worked in the Middle East, athletes, and administrators of different sports.<\/p>\n
\nAccording to lawyer and sports consultant Pedro Trengrouse, who is the committee\u2019s general coordinator, the idea is to promote joint initiatives between Arabs and Brazilians in order to develop not only the sports industry, but also \u201cseveral other segments that can benefit from sports\u2019 soft power.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n Thiago Mascaranhas exhibits the medals and belts he won in Saudi Arabia over the years. (Supplied)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\nOne of the obvious targets is football. In 2021, the Brazilian Congress passed a law that allows football clubs, which have traditionally been non-profit civic associations, to become companies. This way, they can be partially or totally sold to other companies or investors.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThere are huge opportunities now. Arab nations have been investing in football all over the world,\u201d Trengrouse said.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cBrazil is the land of football, and including football in strategic discussions may be the key for other investments.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nRyadah will create opportunities connected to the organization of sports events and the promotion of tourism destinations, he added.<\/p>\n
\nThe committee plans to develop sports cooperation programs, support the exchange of athletes and managers, and attract investments.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cBut we also want to use sports initiatives to expand the Arab markets in Brazil in areas like renewable energy, agriculture, technology and infrastructure,\u201d Trengrouse told Arab News.<\/p>\n
\nCCAB CEO Tamer Mansour affirmed during a meeting of the committee earlier in April that Ryadah \u201cwants to establish a new age in the sports industry in Brazil and in the Arab nations.\u201d He added: \u201cSports are education and culture. We will naturally open new investments in other segments.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nRicardo Trade, an experienced sports administrator and a member of Ryadah, told Arab News that relations between Middle Eastern and Brazilian sports have been continually growing over the past few years.<\/p>\n
\nHe was CEO of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, and deputy CEO of operations of the World Cup in Qatar, where he still lives.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThere were 300 Brazilians working in the Cup in Qatar, and the relationship between them and the Arabs was fantastic. They like to work with us, and we respect each other\u2019s culture,\u201d Trade said.<\/p>\n
\nHe recalled that some of those expats used to cook traditional Brazilian snacks such as coxinha \u2014 made with chopped chicken meat covered in dough \u2014 and the locals began to consume them as well. \u201cThe Arabs love Brazilian steakhouses too. The Cup helped to activate that kind of exchange,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\nBut it is not all about football, Trade emphasized. Some Gulf countries have talented athletes in handball, beach volleyball and tennis \u2014 sports in which Brazil has a strong presence too. \u201cOur partnership can benefit both sides to further develop those sports,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\nOver the past decades, the Brazilian presence has been strong in the UAE and Saudi Arabia with another sport: Brazilian jiu jitsu.<\/p>\n
\nDeveloped by the Gracie brothers in the first half of the 20th century, that martial art combines Japanese judo and jiu jitsu with special techniques created in Brazil. Over the years, numerous Brazilian athletes took BJJ to other countries, including Japan.<\/p>\n
\nIn the UAE, hundreds of Brazilian jiu jitsu masters teach it in private gyms and public schools.<\/p>\n
\nA similar phenomenon is happening in Saudi Arabia, said Thiago Mascaranhas, a BJJ champion and coach who has lived in Riyadh since 2015.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cA friend who lives in Jordan told me there was a position to teach BJJ in Saudi Arabia. The economy was weak in Brazil so I decided to go,\u201d Mascaranhas told Arab News.<\/p>\n
\nAt the time, BJJ was not officially recognized in Saudi Arabia \u2014 there was no jiu jitsu federation \u2014 so he was identified in his documents as a sports trainer.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cBut I felt warmly welcomed by the Saudi people. After a few months, I brought my wife and kids to live here with me,\u201d Mascaranhas said, adding that much has changed in the Kingdom since then.<\/p>\n
\n Thiago Mascaranhas and his family watching a football match in Riyadh. (Supplied)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\nBJJ has grown quickly, with new gyms and the creation of federations, leagues and championships.<\/p>\n
\nThe BJJ culture has helped popularize another Brazilian product in Saudi Arabia: acai. An Amazonian berry rich in dietary fiber, minerals and vitamins, acai has been consumed by BJJ fighters in Brazil for decades and is now popular in parts of the Middle East.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cYears ago, we used to buy acai when we went to Abu Dhabi for a competition. It was hard to bring it. Now we can find it everywhere in Riyadh,\u201d Mascaranhas said.<\/p>\n
\nAnother significant transformation involves women. He said in recent years, with the social changes taking place in Saudi Arabia, many women have been training in BJJ.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI have numerous female students. They can train and take part in championships. Some of them like BJJ to reduce stress, others want to learn how to fight. As an encourager of female sports, I\u2019m very grateful about it,\u201d Mascaranhas said.<\/p>\n
\nTrengrouse said Brazil is internationally renowned in female sports, and can definitely contribute to developing them in Arab nations. The committee includes important agents in female sports such as football and horse riding, he added.<\/p>\n
\nMansour said: \u201cArabs are living a cultural revolution, a modernization, (and we can collaborate) not only with investment but also with our ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nHe added that sports not widely known in Arab nations, such as female rugby, have a significant presence in Brazil.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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