Under the Sports Incentive Law, which was passed in 1988 but only became formalised in 2003, companies can invest up to one per cent and individuals six per cent of what they would normally give to the Government in tax.

In 2010, the funds raised by the Law totalled R$181 million ($113 million/£70 million)), 63.2 per cent more than was invested in 2009 when the figure R$110.9 million ($68.9 million/£42.7 million)) and an incredible 255.3 per cent more than in 2007, when it R$ 50.1 million ($31.1 million/£19.3 million)).

That means in the last four years Brazilian sport has benefitted by an extra of R$425 million ($264 million/£164 million) benefitting 800,000 people in 103 different sports and that figure is expected to raise considerably in the run-up to Rio 2016.

Brazil are aiming for their best-ever performance at Rio in 2016.

Currently their best display at an Olympics was in Athens in 2004 when they won a total of ten medals, five of them gold, including sailor Robert Scheidt, who claimed victory in the men's laser.

The Ministry of Sports' goal is that every Olympic and Paralympic sport has the financial support to fulfill their plans by 2016.

Among the sports already benefitting from the scheme is canoe who are being sponsored by Brazil's state-owned National Economic and Social Development Bank (BNDES).

Previously the sport had no financial backing. 

According to Ricardo Capelli, the director of the Ministry of Sports and chairman of the Sports Incentive Act Technical Committee, these results reinforce the fact that sports are becoming part of the country's public policy.

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