Peregian Beach College to host Brazilian Olympic Basketball team for 2032 Olympic Games
A rapidly growing Sunshine Coast school has put pen to paper with an elite international sporting team which will call the region home during their 2032 Olympic gold medal bid.
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An elite international sporting side will call the Sunshine Coast home during the 2032 Olympics with construction and increased high level performance testing underway.
Peregian Beach College has been able to secure the Brazilian National Olympic Basketball Program in the lead up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, with the college ramping up construction and further land acquisition.
The Brazilian team and their staff would use College training areas, sports science and medical testing labs, accommodation facilities and indoor basketball arena which is on track to be completed in the coming months.
The arena is set to accommodate two and half basketball courts as well as 300 spectator seats.
The Brazilian national team has featured a host of current NBA stars such as Gui Santos (Golden State Warriors) and former players Maybyner Nene, Anderson Varejao, Leandro Barbosa and Raul Neto.
Sporting director Melvyn Wilkes said he was proud and excited for the extended partnership with professional teams.
“Before he joined the College as our head of sports science and performance, Bruno (Pena Couto) worked as Brazil’s head of sport science and medical and was a part of their Olympic set up when they housed the Great Britain Olympic Football team in Brazil,” he said.
“He’s been with us for three years now but Brazil wanted to re-engage him as part of their team so he’s been travelling back and forth over the last few months and being a key figure for their pre-games and Olympic qualifiers.”
Wilkes said through Bruno’s connection with the squad, Peregian Beach College and the Sunshine Coast Sporting Academy had been able to showcase their development and expansion to the Brazilian Olympic organising committee.
“They’ve been impressed that we have elite players in a range of different sports, all on the same campus and that campus is being further developed with an indoor basketball arena, added land acquisition, accommodation and the already established facilities,” he said.
“That all forms part of them coming here for all of their pre-games, acclimatisation and training camps, qualification matches and so on.”
Wilkes said the College would welcome and host a number of coaching staff members and Olympic delegates from April.
“We’re in the process of looking at adding and housing other sports on the complex from 2025 that will enable us to grow even further,” he said.
“It’s a big project but it’s an exciting project and one that will see a major sporting body in Brazil come and use our facilities.
“It’s also not just exclusive to basketball, there’s other potential sports on the horizon which is why the other delegates are heading out here.”
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