Twice a month, World Lacrosse will be spotlighting its member nations and highlighting their efforts to grow the sport around the world. World Lacrosse currently has 91 members across four continental federations.
Brazil Lacrosse became the 86th member of World Lacrosse in May of 2023.
The Brazilian men’s team competed in its first ever competition later that year in November at the 2023 PALA Sixes Cup in Kingston, Jamaica. The team finished in seventh and won its first ever international match.
The team’s coach, Cristina Velez, also made history by becoming one of the first women to serve as the head coach of a senior men’s team at an international competition.
With the support of World Lacrosse, development of lacrosse began in 2022 in Brazil and has continued to progress since.
Quotes
“Being part of World Lacrosse means broadening the sporting horizons of a country famous in the world of competition. Sport is in Brazil’s DNA and the future of sport in the country lies with newer disciplines such as lacrosse, which broaden inclusion and appetite for competition. We look forward to building a robust lacrosse network over the coming years, joining the thriving international community that already exists for the sport.” – Manolo Aquino, President of Brazil Lacrosse
Being selected as a coach is a huge testament to to the board and group of people in Brazil as a concerted effort to create opportunities for women. You see Brazil breaking barriers and gender bias in many sports in the country with coaches, and I am grateful they are setting an example and paving the way for more women in our sport.” – Cristina Velez, coach of men’s sixes team in 2023.
“In Brazil, we are delighted that lacrosse has been included as an Olympic sport. We are accustomed to participating in all of the different Olympic sports, so it motivates us enormously to know that lacrosse has been included. Thank you to everyone who has made it possible for the sport to return to the Olympics.” – Manolo Aquino, President of Brazil Lacrosse
