News Olympic Day (celebrated on Tuesday 23) doubled up as a farewell for the delegation that will represent Brazil at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada To celebrate the day, which commemorates the founding of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Maria Lenk Aquatic Park, (the site for next year’s Olympic diving and synchronized swimming competitions), laid on a host of sporting activities this morning before two special guests: Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and "Ginga" - the mascot that will represent Team Brazil "We are 409 days away from the start of the Olympics when Rio de Janeiro will transform itself into the world's Olympic capital, and it seems right that we are here today to celebrate Olympic Day, which also coincides with Brazil’s National Sports Day," said President Rousseff "There could be nothing more fitting than to celebrate in this water park which bears the name of the great sportswoman, Maria Lenk, who claimed the first Brazilian world swimming record and who was the first South American to participate in the Olympic Games, as well as being an educator dedicated to training young athletes All the children and young people here today inherit the legacy of Maria Lenk’s dedication and excellence," she added "This is an historic day for Brazilian Olympic sport Every year the COB (Brazil Olympic Committee) celebrates Olympic Day with workshops and sporting activities for children and young people This year we are delighted to be able to celebrate the day in the company of President Dilma Rousseff," said the President of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee and the COB, Carlos Arthur Nuzman: "This is a great opportunity for us to remember the irrefutable value of sport for society – for citizenship, ethics, social inclusion and healthy living "  Children try out sailing in the pool at the Maria Lenk Aquatic Park (Photo: Alex Ferro/Rio 2016)Besides Dilma Rousseff and Carlos Nuzman, other special guests included the Governor of Rio de Janeiro, Luiz Fernando Pezão; Mayor Eduardo Paes; and the Minister for Sport, George Hilton Team Brazil athletes were also there representing a host of different sports, including Rafaela Silva and Vitor Penalber (judo), Matheus Santana (swimming), Geisa Coutinho (athletics), Arthur Zanetti and Flávia Saraiva (artistic gymnastics), Hugo Calderano (table tennis), and Juliana Veloso (diving) The Olympic Day celebrations also featured sporting activities catering to around 200 children from social projects in the Borel, Cidade de Deus, Babylonia and Chapéu Mangueira communities of Rio de Janeiro The children took part in workshops in athletics, fencing, wrestling, judo, sailing and taekwondo, as well as watching displays of diving and synchronized swimming The children were thrilled to have the opportunity to meet their sporting heroes:"The activities are really cool I've done judo, taekwondo and wrestling today It was amazing playing with (Arthur) Zanetti I always see him on TV and he’s really strong, but I took him down twice in judo! In Cidade de Deus I don’t do any fighting, but I play volleyball and I go to a dance class," said 11-year-old Alexandro Santana Record participation in Pan American GamesArthur Zanetti presented President Dilma Rousseff with the official Team Brazil uniform and she addressed the delegation:"I address myself to the 600 athletes who will represent Brazil at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto I wish you every luck and success Each and every one of you has the force of the Brazilian fans behind you When a Brazilian athlete steps up onto the podium, we watch you with pride in our hearts That is to say that for every medal you win, our country’s sense of pride goes up a notch Toronto will be excellent preparation for the unique opportunity we have coming next year, with the Olympic and Paralympic Games at home in Rio de Janeiro I'm sure all of Brazil, together with all of you, will make this a sporting event that goes down in world history The result will be a Brazil filled with pride for its athletes Good luck to all of you," said the President    Eduardo Paes, Dilma Rousseff and Carlos Arthur Nuzman watch the displays at the Maria Lenk Aquatic Park (Photo: Alex Ferro/Rio 2016)Brazil is sending 600 athletes to Toronto to compete across 36 different sports, which is the highest number of representatives Brazil has ever had in a Pan American Games held outside of Brazil The goal of the COB is to place Brazil among the top three in the medals table One of the team's newcomers is champion Youth Olympic swimmer, Matheus Santana: "This will be my first time at the Pan American Games and I am anxious – not anxious as in nervous, but anxious to get there – to get a feel for the Pan American Village, to see the pool Even though it’s my debut, I’m aiming to swim close to my best time, or maybe even better I'm hoping to have a good race and get a medal for Brazil at my first Pan Am Games," said Matheus  Mascot highlights wildlife conservation projects "Ginga”, the Team Brazil mascot, is a jaguar who wears a uniform in the colors of the Brazilian national flag The image of the character will be printed on merchandise like bags, caps, mugs, notebooks and shirts The soft toy will be available to buy in August from online stores and other Rio 2016 vendors   By choosing the jaguar, the COB aims to highlight the efforts of conservation NGOs working to protect this animal ARCA Brasil (the Humanitarian Association for the Protection and Welfare of Animals) – an organization internationally recognized for its work in defense of animals, who have conducted extensive research into jaguar habitats – have been chosen to select the conservation projects that the COB will promote   Watch the video to find out more about the mascot: