NY Times · Aug 8, 2016
Brazilians Give Even Table Tennis a Raucous Atmosphere
RIO DE JANEIRO — The same shout can be heard throughout the Summer Olympics, from table tennis and fencing to swimming and beach volleyball events: Silêncio! Shhh!
While every sport has its own custom for when it is appropriate to cheer and when quiet is expected, none of that applies here. The Rio Games have only just begun, but already the exuberance of local fans has collided with athletes’ and officials’ pleas for silence.
“Brazilian people, they are very passionate,” Hugo Calderano, a table tennis player from Brazil, said with a smile. “And they like to be loud as well.”