Benfica and the Olympic Games

Two personalities linked to Benfica’s History had participated in previous editions, but they were no longer athletes of the Club at the time: Francisco Lázaro, who ran the marathon in Stockholm 1912, and Félix Bermudes, who competed in the shooting event in Paris 1924.

In total, from 1928 to 2016, the Benfica athletes attended 17 editions of the Summer Olympic Games. The largest “red” contingent matched with the largest Portuguese attendance ever in Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games, with a total of 26 athletes in seven sports.

In 2007, Benfica reinforced its commitment to Olympic Sports with the creation of the Benfica Olympic Project, aiming to pool efforts to increase the number of athletes representing the Club at the biggest sporting event of the world.

The Benfica Olympic is structured to provide the athletes involved a wide range of valences in several fields, such as medical support, nutrition, injury prevention and recovery. The project also contemplates partnerships with sponsors, to offer better conditions to the athletes.

The impact of this project can be seen in the increase of the club’s athletes in the Olympic Games and in the sports they practice. Since Beijing 2008, the first Olympics to be covered by Benfica Olympic, and until Rio 2016, participated 34 athletes from the Club and were launched the disciplines of judo, triathlon, and canoeing.