Brazilian football 7-a-side internationals to show off their skills on Copacabana Beach

Members of the Brazilian football 7-a-side team who are preparing for this summer’s World Championships will be taking part in a free public demonstration on Rio’s Copacabana Beach this Saturday (21 March).

Five players from the green and yellows will be showing off their skills on the beach’s world famous sand and giving the public a chance to join in from 14:30 (GMT) as part of the Enjoy the Beach Project which has been organised by Rede Globo, Brazil’s biggest TV channel.

Three of the participating players, Diego Silva, Mark and Yuri Gilvano da Silva, play for Rio’s Vasco da Gama club, the current national champions in football 7-a-side having defeated Caira (MS) 3-2 in last year’s cup final.

The Brazilian national team is gearing up for a very busy summer of sport in the year prior to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

In June, Brazil will be one of 12 national teams in Great Britain to participate in the World Championships. Russia start as defending champions and last week Brazil was drawn in Group C alongside Scotland, USA and Venezuela.

A few weeks later, the team will travel to Canada to play in the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games, tickets for which go on-sale on Monday 23 March.

Brazil has good record when it comes to major competitions. The team won silver at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games, improving on the bronze they won four years earlier in Sydney, Australia.

In 2013 they were the runner-up in the Intercontinental Cup held in Spain and last year won the Americas Cup and the International Tournament in the Netherlands.

Created by Rede Globo, the Enjoy the Beach Project aims to bring enjoyment and well-being of locals and tourists. This is its second season and Saturday 21 March marks its final day for this summer.

The demonstration which takes places between 14:30-15:30 GMT will take place by the Kiosk Globe on Atlantic Avenue. Entry is free.