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OLYMPIC REVIEW 37PE teachers, and sports festivals that give members of the general public the chance to try out sports for themselves. In training sessions, less common sports are introduced and adapted to the physical spaces of the schools, reaching out to those pupils who might not normally play Brazil’s most popular sports like football, volleyball and handball.Sports such as badminton and hockey, which can be adapted to be played on concrete playgrounds in schools, inspire curiosity in teachers and pupils alike as they try them for the first time. Joney Carvalho, a PE teacher from a school in Maré, one of Rio de Janeiro’s biggest favela communities, was among those who took part in a session. “A teacher friend had already done a badminton course and recommended it to me. I thought it was wonderful. The only problem is judging the timing of the shuttlecock. The racket has small holes but, sometimes, it seems like a big hole has appeared in the middle,” he joked.Sports festivals, which are taking place throughout the city, bring Brazilian athletes to teach people of all ages different sports – from the most popular to the least known. Giovane Gávio, a two-time Olympic volleyball champion, attended a festival that drew more than 2,000 people. “In my opinion, this is the biggest legacy of the Rio 2016 Games,” he reflected. “Bringing other sports onto the general public’s radar and being able to discover new talents. These are important values for future professionals in any area of performance. Sport is a way to transform.”As well as the sporting element, schools in Rio de Janeiro are embracing other challenges introduced by Transforma as a way of integrating students. For example, pupils are currently coming up with a new song for Brazilian supporters to sing at the Olympic venues next year.While much of the Games action will take place in Rio de Janeiro, the whole of Brazil is very much involved in the preparations. The biggest example of this will be the Olympic torch relay, which will be run in 300 cities and towns throughout the country, while passing through an additional 200, giving an estimated 90 per cent of the Brazilian population the chance to see the Olympic flame. Among the cities being visited by the relay will be the capitals of the country’s 26 states and the Federal District.The torch will be carried by approximately 12,000 people and the relay will cover around 20,000km on Brazilian roads while also flying 16,000km over the north and mid-west part of the country, before it is eventually PicturedRowing (top) and triathlon (above) test events were also staged successfully in AugustOn yea  go