The Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre () is an aquatics centre that is part of the City of Sports Complex in the

Barra da Tijuca Barra da Tijuca () (usually known as Barra) is an upper-middle class neighborhood or bairro in the Rio de Janeiro#West Zone, West Zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, located in the western portion of the city on the Atlantic Ocean. Barra is well known ...

district 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 ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. It is part of the investments made by the city to host the swimming, synchronized swimming and diving competitions of the

2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games () and commonly known as Rio 2007, were a major Americas, continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to 29, 2007. A total of ...

. During the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

, it hosted group matches of

water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

and the

synchronised swimming Synchronized swimming (in British English, synchronised swimming), also known as artistic swimming, is a sport where swimmers perform a synchronized choreographed routine, accompanied by music. The sport is governed internationally by World A ...

and

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), ...

competitions. The name of the water park is a tribute to the Brazilian swimmer, Maria Lenk, who died less than three months before its inauguration. The water park was designed in accordance with established parameters and specifications of the International Swimming Federation (

FINA 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 ...

). It is partially covered and includes an Olympic-sized swimming pool, an indoor heating and a tank for diving. The complex has the capacity to receive about 8,000 people. The construction area is . The facility has also been designed according to the specifications required to achieve the

Parapan American Games The Parapan American Games is an international multi-sport event for athletes with physical disabilities held every four years after every Pan American Games. The first Games were held in 1999 in Mexico City, Mexico. The 2003 Parapan American Ga ...

of 2007, as well as environments and equipment ready to receive people with special needs. The park, as well as other facilities built for the achievement of the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

, was one of the major assets of the city's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics. In March 2008, the facility came under the administration of the

Brazilian Olympic Committee The Brazilian Olympic Committee (; COB) is the highest authority in Sports in Brazil, Brazilian sport and the governing body of Brazilian Olympic Games, Olympic sport. It was officially founded on 8 June 1914, but World War I caused its official ...

(COB), which has been involved in training for Olympic and Paralympic athletes, coaches and officials, as well as courses, conferences, workshops, gym and small schools of swimming, water polo, diving and synchronized swimming. Until 2009, the BOC did not do any sports activity on the site. In 2011, the facility received the Centro de Treinamento Time Brasil (Team Brazil Training Center), which comprises a gym, a laboratory, and a room for combat sports training, designed by judoka turned architect

Daniela Polzin Daniela Duque Estrada Polzin (born March 4, 1979, in Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian judoka who competed in the women's extra-lightweight category. She held a 2008 Brazilian senior title for her own division, picked up a total of seventeen medals ...

. In 2018, COB moved its headquarters onto the aquatics centre in a cost-cutting measure, while also planning to add two

beach volleyball Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two to four players each on a sand court divided by a net. Similar to indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side o ...

courts in the area to offer more services in the facility. It also started receiving the

Brazil Swimming Trophy The Brazil Swimming Trophy (Formerly: Maria Lenk Trophy) is a Brazilian competition played by teams in individual and relay swimming events. It is also known as the Brazilian Open Summer Championship and / or Brazilian Open Long Course Pool Champ ...

starting in 2017. In 2022, as COB moved into a building closer to the Centre, it also renewed its concession of the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre until 2048, while also planning to add an archery range nearby.

References

External links

Rio 2016 websiteRio2016.org.br Bid package.
Volume 2. p. 18. {{Olympic venues water polo Venues of the 2016 Summer Olympics Barra Olympic Park Olympic diving venues Olympic water polo venues Olympic synchronized swimming venues Sports venues in Rio de Janeiro (city) Swimming venues in Brazil

See also

References

External links