Amanda Brandão Armelau, better known as Índia Armelau (born 20 January 1988), is a Brazilian former swimmer and politician, affiliated with the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

(PL). She is currently a state deputy in the state of

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, being the first

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

woman elected to the chamber. In 2022, she was elected for her first mandate to the legislative assembly with 57,582 votes.

Biography

Armelau is of Indigenous and Italian background. She was raised in the Aparecida neighborhood of

Manaus Manaus () is the List of capitals of subdivisions of Brazil, capital and largest city of the States of Brazil, Brazilian state of Amazonas (Brazilian state), Amazonas. It is the List of largest cities in Brazil, seventh-largest city in Brazil, w ...

, in Amazonas state, where she began her career as a swimmer at Academia Golfinho. She was at one point invited to become part of the swimming team of

Atlético Rio Negro Clube Atlético Rio Negro Clube, usually known simply as Rio Negro is a traditional Brazilian football club from Manaus, Amazonas state. Rio Negro is the second oldest club of Amazonas state, and is eleven months younger than its rival, Nacional.'' ...

Swimming career

Armelau competed in base categories with

CR Vasco da Gama Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama (; English: Vasco da Gama Club of Rowing), commonly referred to as Vasco da Gama or simply Vasco, is a sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Although originally a rowing club and then a multi-sport club, Va ...

, in

, having taken part as a member of a youth team that won state championships. As an adult, she was a member of

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

-based Universidade Santa Cecília's (Unisanta) swim team. According to

World Aquatics World Aquatics, formerly known as FINA (; ), is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administering international competitions in List of water sports, water sports. It is one of several interna ...

, she participated in seven tryouts for the

World Aquatics Championships The World Aquatics Championships, formerly the FINA World Championships, are the World Championships for six aquatic disciplines: swimming, diving, high diving, open water swimming, artistic swimming, and water polo. The championships are st ...

between 2004 and 2006. Her best result was in the 50 meter butterfly, earning sixth place twice. Armelau participated in the Brazil Swimming Trophy competition in 2005, with a third place in the 200m freestyle and the 4x50m freestyle. Later that same year, at the

José Finkel Trophy The José Finkel Trophy is a Brazilian competition played by teams in individual and relay swimming events. It is also known as the Brazilian Open Winter Championship and / or the Brazilian Open Short Course Pool Championship, despite being spora ...

competition, she came in second place at the 100m medley, losing to Rebeca Gusmão; and also came in third place at the 100m butterfly and second place at the medley. She helped to bring Unissanta to second place in the competition overall. She competed in the 2006 Copa Latina in São Paulo, having achieved a gold medal with the freestyle and silver during the 50m butterfly event.

Post-sports career

Armelau ended her career as an athlete in 2008 and began studying to become licensed as a teacher, graduating with a bachelor's degree in physical education. She participated in the "Musa do Cariocão 2012" contest, promoted by the CNT program ''Balanço Esportivo'', representing Vasco da Gama. She went on to become a businesswoman in the fitness industry, being the owner of a

CrossFit CrossFit is a branded fitness regimen that involves constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity. The method was developed by Greg Glassman, who founded CrossFit with Lauren Jenai in 2000, with CrossFit its registered trad ...

training center.

Political career

Armelau became known for her posts relating to politics on social media, criticizing the

Workers' Party Workers' Party is a name used by several political parties throughout the world. The name has been used by both organisations on the left and right of the political spectrum. It is currently used by followers of Marxism, Marxism–Leninism, Maoism ...

. She became a member of the PL and was elected a state deputy in the state of Rio de Janeiro in

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, with 57,582 votes. As a state deputy, she approved a law that instituted 31 July as " Vira-Lata day" on the official calendar of the state of Rio de Janeiro, with the objective of promoting the adoption of pets that aren't purebred. In January 2024, she presented an amendment to taxes to put 815 million reais towards infrastructure projects and the purchasing of air conditioning for state schools. In February 2024, she voted in favor of allowing fellow deputy Lucinha to keep her position after she had been removed from office by the state, having been accused of having links to the

militias A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or serve ...

. During the

2024 Rio de Janeiro mayoral election The 2024 Rio de Janeiro municipal election took place on 6 October 2024. Voters elected a mayor, vice mayor, and 51 city council members. The incumbent mayor, Eduardo Paes of the Social Democratic Party (Brazil, 2011), Social Democratic Party (PS ...

, she was chosen to be the vice-mayoral pick for the ticket led by

Alexandre Ramagem Alexandre Ramagem Rodrigues (born 20 March 1972) is a Brazilian politician and federal police officer. He served under President Jair Bolsonaro as Director of the Brazilian Intelligence Agency from 2019 until 2022. Ramagem was elected to the Chamb ...

. They came in second place behind

Eduardo Paes Eduardo da Costa Paes (, born 14 November 1969) is a Brazilian politician who became the mayor of Rio de Janeiro from 2009 to 2012, reelected for a second term from 2013 to 2016 and a third in 2021. He is the city's 13th mayor. On 12 August, ...

and

Eduardo Cavaliere Eduardo Cavaliere (born 29 September 1994) is a Brazilian lawyer and politician, affiliated with the Social Democratic Party (PSD). He was the secretary of the environment for the city of Rio de Janeiro from 2021 to 2023 during the mayorship of ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Armelau, Índia 1988 births Living people Politicians from Rio de Janeiro (city) Swimmers from Rio de Janeiro (city) Sportspeople from Manaus Brazilian politicians of indigenous peoples descent Brazilian people of Italian descent Brazilian female butterfly swimmers Brazilian female freestyle swimmers Liberal Party (Brazil, 2006) politicians Members of the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro 21st-century Brazilian sportswomen