Estácio and the Olympic importance: sponsorship, legacy and incentive

1. What was the main motivation for Estácio to become a supporter of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games?

Estácio believes that sports involve the building of values, encouragement of overcoming challenges, and the development of autonomy with ethics, collective spirit, and social commitment. Understanding that when associated with education, sports promote lasting transformations, the institution, with the support of the Yduqs Institute, is continuously dedicated to forming champions both inside and outside the classroom by promoting sports events, social projects, and various actions aligned with its mission. Over the past 15 years, approximately 2,000 people have benefited from the Career Transition Program, including athletes and former athletes (students and graduates), from grassroots to high performance.

It is worth noting that, in addition to career transition and higher education for athletes and para-athletes, part of the work that Estácio and the Yduqs Institute carry out in sports also involves institutions committed to sports development, providing opportunities for young people in socially vulnerable situations to practice sports, stimulating significant improvements in learning conditions, citizenship, and the formation of values. We are members of the working group on Transition and Dual Sports Careers of the Ministry of Sports and SIGA Latin America, signatories and members of the council of the Sports Pact.

2. What is the company's assessment of the legacy of the 2016 Olympics?

We contributed to the construction of a solid legacy for sports and society as a whole. Additionally, it is gratifying to be part of the academic evolution process of athletes. In 2016, during the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, we participated in the development of content, selection, and training of the 140,000 volunteers and 6,000 staff members for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Since then, Estácio has been present at all editions of the event and is proud to be one of the educational institutions that invest the most in sports in the country. In the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, 10% of Brazilian athletes had the support of Estácio and the Yduqs Institute.

Estácio and the Yduqs Institute have students and alumni like Fernando Scheffer, Ymanitu Geom da Silva, Daniele Hypólito, Laís Souza, Jade Barbosa, Rebeca Andrade, and Lucas Vertein, among other athletes. Moreover, both organizations are partners with over 50 institutions, including Confederations, Federations, Clubs, and Institutes related to sports, such as the Fernanda Keller Institute, Grael Project, Bernardinho Volleyball School, Guga Kuerten Institute, Reação Institute, Brazilian Olympic Committee, and Brazilian Paralympic Committee, among others.

3. This year, Estácio is sponsoring the Brazilian Olympic Committee. How does the support for sports fit into the company's strategy?

For over 10 years, we have been partners with the Brazilian Olympic Committee. Within the ESG agenda, Estácio has paid special attention to career transition for student-athletes and para-athletes. The pursuit of academic education is growing among athletes as they prepare for a future career transition. The increasing interest in education and professional training reflects a greater awareness of the importance of being prepared for life after sports. Estácio, along with the Yduqs Institute, has observed an increase in the number of athletes who balance their training with studies, taking advantage of the opportunities offered to ensure a successful career beyond competitions.

On the social aspect, it is important to highlight the career and study options provided by the university to high-performance athletes who retire at a young age. We have invested over R$200 million in scholarships, and in projects and events supported through incentive laws. Overall, we have supported more than 2,000 athletes and para-athletes, including students and graduates, from grassroots to high performance. For over 15 years, we have been encouraging the formation of champions inside the classroom through the Career Transition Program, which enables higher education so that athletes can prepare for the second phase of their careers. The support from Estácio and the Yduqs Institute allows athletes to effectively prepare, leveraging their sports experiences to face new challenges and achieve success in other areas. This interaction between sports and education allows athletes to be better prepared for a future career transition.

In the academic sphere, Estácio provides an exclusive center for supporting athletes in higher education, ensuring personalized academic support. All the work developed aims to enable athletes to balance their academic journey with sports, ensuring that, during competition times, they can count on Estácio's support. One of the greatest allies is distance learning (EaD), as this format allows athletes not to interrupt their studies due to the intense routine of training and competitions. Many athletes study through EaD. Estácio, an institution that is a pioneer in this modality and one of the most relevant digital education players in the country, has a digital teaching model that respects the pace and learning capacity of each student. The classes include short videos, interactive content, digital books, online tutoring, podcasts, and the methodology is designed to develop students' autonomy and self-management of knowledge.

4.What were your expectations of the Paris Olympics?

We had 35 athletes (students and graduates) supported by Estácio and the Yduqs Institute. Of the Team Brazil athletes, a special mention goes to the women, who make up more than two thirds of this group, reflecting the strengthening of women's sport. The Paris 2024 Games will be historic, marking the first time that the event has had an equal number of male and female athletes, representing the highest female participation in 100 years.

Among the partnered and supported athletes competing in Paris 2024 are Rebeca Andrade and Rayan Dutra, Psychology and Physical Education students respectively, and Beatriz Haddad, a Business graduate. In addition, Raquel Kochhann, captain of the women's rugby team and a Physical Education graduate from Estácio, was chosen as the delegation's flag bearer for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games, which took place on July 26 in Paris. We are proud to see them competing on such a significant stage. In addition, another 42 athletes supported by us will be at the Paralympics, which will take place between August 28 and September 8. This number also represents more than 10% of the Brazilian delegation. In all, 77 supported athletes (35 Olympians and 42 Paralympians) will be in Paris 2024.

For the students, Estácio gives them the opportunity to put into practice what they learn in the classroom and to get to know the values that sport and education have in common: discipline, respect, effort, perseverance, ethics, resilience, focus, leadership, self-esteem and many others.In Tokyo, nine students from Estácio's Gastronomy course traveled with the Brazilian Olympic Committee to prepare food for the athletes, along with the team responsible for feeding Team Brazil.This year, Estácio took five of its students to cover the Paris 2024 Olympics. The students from the Journalism, Audiovisual Production, Photography and Advertising courses are covering the event at Casa do Brasil and at the Time Brasil bases during the sports competitions, providing a unique experience.