Watched on national television by hundreds of thousands of Brazilians nationwide, the announcement was made on Tuesday 10th December at the Brazilian Olympic Awards evening held at the Cidade das Artes (City of Arts), located in Barra da Tijuca, the area of Rio de Janeiro that was the focal point for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Present in Zhengzhou, preparing for the Agricultural Bank of China 2019 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals, the 23 year old acknowledged the accolade by video link.

Sixth time awarded

Organised by the Brazilian National Olympic Committee, the 21st edition of the occasion, it was the sixth time the “Fan Favourite” award had been made.

Not only does the award reflect the popularity of Hugo Calderano, it also reflects the major effect he is having on raising the status of the sport in Brazil; nothing replaces a hero, nothing supersedes an icon to which youngsters can admire.

All-round sportsman

Thankfully Hugo Calderano chose table tennis, he is one of those special characters who could have chosen any sport where a ball was concerned; he’s most adroit at basketball and volleyball.

The recent video released by the International Table Tennis Federation endorsed that fact; the major bonus with Hugo Calderano is that there is no sense, no hint of arrogance, he is one of the most humble, courteous and well-mannered young men you could which to meet. He was the same when 13 years old, plying his skills in his native Rio de Janeiro, he is the same now.

Global vote

Thousands of votes were received, the vote being global, not just restricted to Brazil; incredibly Hugo Calderano received a massive 48 per cent, a clear endorsement for his personality and for the sport of table tennis.

Understandably, Alao Azevedo, who except for the period between 1992 and 1995, has always been the President of the Brazilian Table Tennis Confederation, was naturally delighted.

“I am very happy with this award; it represents Brazilian table tennis is growing and getting more popular. Thanks to this fantastic player Hugo Calderano, our chances for the future are more brilliant!” Alaor Azevedo

Flavia Saraiva, who plays for Flamengo, one of Brazil’s foremost football clubs, was next in line; he received 36.4 per cent.

Other contenders included Olympic medallists Bruno Rezende (volleyball), Ana Marcela (aquatic marathon) and Mayra Aguiar (judo), in addition to the 2019 surfing world title contender Italo Ferreira.