Brazil’s Olympic medal hopes rest with the Armed Forces

Brazil woke up groggy and bleary-eyed on Monday morning, after staying up late the night before to cheer on 13-year-old Rayssa Leal — the youngest competitor ever to represent Brazil at an Olympic Games — to a silver medal in the women’s street skateboarding competition in Tokyo. Along with Kelvin Hoefler’s silver in the men’s event the previous day, Brazil got its 2020 Games off to a good start, despite hopes of having their golden generation of women skateboarders dominating the podium. Favorites Letícia Bufoni and Pâmela Rosa failed to qualify for the final.

Regardless of the results at the skatepark, however, Brazil’s biggest and most consistent medal hopes come from competitors who hail from the country’s military athletics program. In the Rio Games in 2016, 30 percent of Brazil’s delegation came from the Armed Forces, and they won 13 of Brazil’s 19 medals.

These figures and the recurring images of Brazilian athletes saluting on the podium perhaps give off the wrong impression, however: these competitors are not active service personnel, instead they are part of the Defense Ministry’s High-Performance Athletes Program, created in 2008.

With funding and sponsorship scarce for Brazilian athletes, the Armed Forces program offers an indispensable opportunity for sportsmen and women to further their careers and compete on the highest stage. Athletes are paid a salary and given access to training infrastructure in exchange for representing the military in international competitions.

In Tokyo, 91 of Brazil’s 302-strong delegation represent the Armed Forces, spread across 21 sports. Among...