Brazil
Main sources: Matthias Opatz, www.cbdg.org.bra.
Football and... skating?
Brazil’s footballers may be more famous than the country’s speedskaters, and the beaches of the Copacabana appears to offer less than ideal conditions for speedskating. Ice does exist in the country, apart from the stuff in drinks, because there are mountains in the west. And there is an ice sport federation: www.cbdg.org.br. But the only reason why the country appears here at all is because there are shorttrackers. Felipe de Souza has participated in world cups and even won a heat, though in a bradburyesque fashion. If he or any other shorttracker or inliner will ever contribute anything to long track speedskating remains to be seen.