Bradesco Olympic Torch Ambassador
Maria Esther Bueno, Bradesco Ambassador
“It was unbelievable!” Maria Esther Bueno said of her visit to Bradesco’s headquarters at Osasco.
“It means the City of God, and is an enormous place with every facility you can imagine for Bradesco people… running track, tennis courts, swimming pools, parks and so on.
“On Thursday they hosted 15,000 people, all related to Bradesco in some way – staffers, their families and so on – to welcome the Olympic Flame and they did an incredible job.
Bradesco people watch the arrival of the Olympic Torch on stage
“It was all brilliantly choreographed, with five of the Bradesco Olympic Torch Ambassadors there, including me.
“Each one of us was sent to a different part of the complex and we had ear-pieces to hear the producer so we could deliver a speech between the five of us.
“We each read a section and then another would carry on, and then, when we had finished, we walked towards the main stage in the middle of the grounds. It was really inspirational!”
The Olympic Torch visited the City of God, as it completed its 80th day after covering a total of 217km, carried by 199 torchbearers that day, and marking its arrival within the region of São Paulo.
It arrived in the early evening where the children of the Fundação Bradesco, the bank’s charitable foundation, carried it around the running track before the Directors of the bank carried it on to the founder, 90-year old Lazaro de Mello Brandao, President of the Board and Founder of the bank, who lit the symbolic pyre on the stage assembled on site.
Can you spot Maria Esther Bueno looking on?
Also present for the ceremony was the President of the Bank, Luiz Carlos Trabuco Cappi.
“They had built these two enormous stages, the main one in the centre of the site where the pyre was, and a second with the orchestra a little way to the side where they had singers and dancers,” said Maria Esther.
“Unfortunately it was very cold – just 11 degrees – and we only had the Bradesco shirts on so everyone was freezing!”
In addition to Maria Esther, the day’s action was attended by four other idols of Brazilian sport – Paralympic swimmer Daniel Dias, and Olympic medalists Gustavo Borges, Giovane Gávio and Leila Barro – and presenter Octavian Costa, who was the Master of Ceremonies.
Athletes from some of Bradesco-sponsored sports, including basketball, rugby, judo and sailing, were also present, while a choir and a student orchestra of the Bradesco Foundation provided the musical backdrop for the day-long party.
“You should’ve seen the truck the Olympic Torch arrived in… it was lit up like a Christmas tree moving towards us!,” Maria Esther enthused.
“As soon as the pyre was lit, there were fantastic fireworks and everyone waved these little torches… a fantastic occasion.
“Bradesco do everything so well and I felt so honoured to be a part in it all. They were able to thank all their employees with this amazing party, making them them all feel a part of the Olympics through the Torch Relay for which they are one of the sponsors.
“For me, this is the highlight of my life and I can’t wait to actually run with the torch on Sunday in Sao Paulo!”
After passing through the City of God, the relay continued into the city of Osasco where other torchbearers selected by Bradesco carried the Torch to its overnight stop, including Irma Aida Baker Needle Conrado, the first professional volleyball player in Brazil, who is 63 years old.
She has dedicated 50 of those years to the sport, and works as the coordinator of the ADC Bradesco Sports Program’s volleyball team.
Irma received the flame from children of the program, which helps about 2,000 girls play volleyball and basketball, and lit the final ceremonial pyre to end the activities of the day in the centre of the city.
In all, 57 torchbearers nominated by Bradesco’s public campaign carried the torch during the day.
Day 80 / 21 July 16:
The Torch Relay began on May 3, 2016 and, over 95 days, will have covered more than 300 cities in all states of Brazil.
About 12,000 people are participating, bearing the flame to Rio 2016 where the torch will arrive at the Maracanã Stadium on 5 August, for the lighting of the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
“It is all very exciting and people are now getting caught up in the whole Olympic atmosphere, which is really great as our country needs to unify.”
Promoting RIO 2016 via CNN
In a feature for CNN entitled ‘Rio 2016: Are athletes using Zika virus as an excuse?’ Maria Esther explores the issues facing Rio 2016 as a result of the Zika virus and athletes pulling out of the Games.
“It has gotten a lot of bad publicity [the Zika virus] but we are trying to do everything we can to prevent it, to keep the athletes safe, the tourists and everybody else who is going,” she said.
“We are pretty confident that it will go well, it will give the chance for the country to be united for something that means a lot to everybody.”
Maria Esther Bueno and Pat Cash
Last week Maria Esther Bueno welcomed another Wimbledon champion, Pat Cash, to her club in Sao Paulo where they filmed a feature ahead of Rio 2016, which has just aired on CNN.
Cash hosts a regular weekly programme called ‘Open Court’ and you can watch this latest episode, as well others, by clicking HERE.
The CNN website has also published a series of articles, the first of which is entitled ‘Maria Bueno: Tennis champion who played with Princess Diana’, which makes fascinating reading!
“It was a pleasure to work with the CNN crew.” Maria Esther said. “There were ten of them and we filmed for around seven hours, both in Sao Paulo and in London at Wimbledon so they have plenty of material!”
CNN International, which reaches 315 million households worldwide, has scheduled to air Pat Cash’s Open Court show on 23 July at 21:30 hours; 24 July: 16:30; 30 July: 16:30; 1 August: 06:30 and 2130 (GMT).
Meanwhile, the Olympic torch relay continued by way of the Sao Paulo coast towards the capital where Maria Esther is running with the Olympic Torch this coming Sunday. You can track her by clicking HERE.
Carrying the Torch in Sao Paulo
Bradesco has announced that the icons of Brazilian sports Gustavo Borges and Maria Esther Bueno will carry the Olympic flame on Sunday, 24, in São Paulo.
Gustavo made history in Brazilian swimming by winning four Olympic medals in Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000.
Maria Bueno is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, named Number One in the world between the years 1959 and 1966, seven times Wimbledon champion and more than 570 titles in her career she was voted the greatest athlete of the Americas in the twentieth century among the tennis players.
“I have great pride, was a special invitation, I was very honored to have been recalled to participate in this unique moment for the sport in Brazil, which is staging the Games,” she said soon after receiving Bradesco’s invitation on the eve of her 76th birthday in October last year.
Maria Esther Bueno, Torchbearer
She has been awarded pride of place in the Torch Relay and will be running an extended distance in front of the bank’s main branch on Avenida Paulista, the main street of São Paulo.
“I am being picked up early in the morning to go and get my uniform on Sunday,” Maria Esther said.
“We meet the other torchbearers and then go by bus to our places. My run starts at 10.08 am [2.08pm UK time]
São Paulo is the only city to host the Olympic Torch Relay Rio 2016 on Sunday.
In all, 55 drivers nominated by Bradesco will participate in the tour of the torch during the day.