The José Finkel Trophy is a Brazilian competition played by teams in individual and relay swimming events. It is also known as the Brazilian Open Winter Championship and / or the Brazilian Open Short Course Pool Championship, despite being sporadically played in the Long Course Pool. It is one of the most notable events nationwide.
Its first edition took place in 1972 in Curitiba and had Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas as champion. The most recent edition took place in the city of Curitiba in September 2019. The trophy is marked by the hegemony of the clubs in the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Minas Gerais. Its name is a tribute to the promising swimmer from Paraná, José Finkel, who died in 1971 as a result of cancer. Trophy history After José Finkel's death, Berek Krieger, then president of the Paraná Aquatics Sports Federation (FDAP) decided to create a competition in the winter, thus filling a hole in the national swimming calendar. The creation of the event would also be a way to improve the mood of swimming in Paraná, which had been greatly reduced by the death of the young swimmer. Finkel started treatment and disappeared, probably saved by the family, of the taboos related to this disease, then in effect. A few weeks later, Finkel died. The team he was part of, Centro Israelita, could not bear the loss, and after Finkel's death no one trained anymore.
About José Finkel José Finkel was an athlete born in 1954. In 1968, he helped the Curitiba team to be the winner of men's swimming in the 12th Paraná Open Games. In October 1970, the small swimming team, Centro Israelita, traveled to a competition at Grêmio Náutico União, in Porto Alegre. The state of Paraná was, then, weak in this sport. He had never produced a swimmer of national prominence. José Finkel, still 17 years old, was already considered the best "Breastroker" of the team. In one of the training sessions for the competition, Finkel started to feel bad. When the team returned to Curitiba, he faced the medical exams and his clinical picture pointed to cancer in the lymphatic vessels.
Champion by Year YearChampionLocalCourse meter1972Botafogo de Futebol e RegatasCuritibaSCM (25M)1973Botafogo de Futebol e RegatasCuritibaSCM (25M)1974Botafogo de Futebol e RegatasLondrinaSCM (25M)1975Botafogo de Futebol e RegatasCuritibaSCM (25M)1976A HebraicaCuritibaSCM (25M)1977Clube de Regatas do FlamengoSão PauloUnavailable1978Fluminense Football ClubRio de JaneiroUnavailable1979Esporte Clube PinheirosParanáSCM (25M)1980Clube de Regatas do FlamengoParanáSCM (25M)1981Clube de Regatas do FlamengoParanáSCM (25M)1982Clube de Regatas do FlamengoParanáSCM (25M)1983Clube de Regatas do FlamengoLondrinaSCM (25M)1984Clube de Regatas do FlamengoSão PauloUnavailable1985Clube de Regatas do FlamengoSão PauloUnavailable1986Clube de Regatas do FlamengoSão PauloUnavailable1987Clube de Regatas do FlamengoSão PauloUnavailable1988Minas Tênis ClubeSão PauloUnavailable1989Undeclared (Canceled due to risk of meningitis outbreak)SantosSCM (25M)1990Clube de Regatas do FlamengoSantosUnavailable1991Minas Tênis ClubeRio de JaneiroLCM (50M)1992Esporte Clube PinheirosLondrinaSCM (25M)1993Minas Tênis ClubeSantosUnavailable1994Minas Tênis ClubeSantosUnavailable1995Esporte Clube PinheirosSantosUnavailable1996Minas Tênis ClubeSantosUnavailable1997Esporte Clube PinheirosSantosUnavailable1998Minas Tênis ClubeRio de JaneiroSCM (25M)1999Club de Regatas Vasco da GamaRio de JaneiroLCM (50M)2000Club de Regatas Vasco da GamaRio de JaneiroLCM (50M)2001Clube de Regatas do FlamengoSantosSCM (25M)2002Clube de Regatas do FlamengoSantosSCM (25M)2003Esporte Clube PinheirosSantosLCM (50M)2004Esporte Clube PinheirosSantosSCM (25M)2005Esporte Clube PinheirosSantosSCM (25M)2006Esporte Clube PinheirosSão PauloLCM (50M)2007Esporte Clube PinheirosPalhoçaLCM (50M)2008Esporte Clube PinheirosSão PauloLCM (50M)2009Esporte Clube PinheirosPalhoçaLCM (50M)2010Esporte Clube PinheirosRio de JaneiroSCM (25M)2011Minas Tênis ClubeBelo HorizonteLCM (50M)2012Minas Tênis ClubeSão PauloSCM (25M)2013Minas Tênis ClubeSão PauloLCM (50M)2014Minas Tênis ClubeGuaratinguetáSCM (25M)2015Minas Tênis ClubeSão PauloLCM (50M)2016Esporte Clube PinheirosSantosSCM (25M)2017Esporte Clube PinheirosSantosLCM (50M)2018Esporte Clube PinheirosSão PauloSCM (25M)2019Minas Tênis ClubeCuritibaLCM (50M)2020Not disputed because of the COVID-19 pandemicGuaratinguetáSCM (25M)2021 Minas Tênis ClubeBauruSCM (25M)2022 Esporte Clube PinheirosRecifeSCM (25M)2023 Esporte Clube PinheirosSão PauloLCM (50M)2024 Esporte Clube PinheirosFlorianópolisSCM (25M)2025 TBASão PauloLCM (50M)
Meet records Long course (50 m) Men
Women
Short course (25 m) Men
Women
References