Katia Aveiro to sing anthem at swimming European Champs

The Portuguese Swimming Federation (FPN) has announced that Katia Aveiro will sing the anthem of Portugal at the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 IPC Swimming European Open Championships held 30 April – 7 May in Funchal on the island of Madeira, Portugal.

The Madeiran singer, who is also the sister of Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo, is an ambassador for Funchal 2016.

"It's such a great honour to sing the anthem of my country, which I love so much, in my native island, with its sea, its people and at an event that I admire so much. This is a dream I did not even know would come true,” Aveiro said on her blog. "You start to get nervous. … You know I do not like to leave anything to chance so I have started the preparations to ensure everything runs perfectly!”

About 450 swimmers representing 50 countries will compete at the Complexo Olimpico de Piscinas da Penteada. The competition is considered one of the most important swimming events organised in Portugal.

Portugal will be represented in Funchal with a large selection. Five of the Portuguese swimmers have already obtained the minimum marks for the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro: Simone Fragoso, David Grachat, David Carreira, João Pina and Nelson Lopes.

Tickets are available free of charge for all spectators and can be downloaded at the IPC Swimming website.

More information on Funchal 2016 can be found on the event website.