Brazil was the 39th nation to enter the Beijing National Stadium during the Olympic opening ceremony. Sailor Robert Scheidt (1996, 2000 and 2004 medalist) was the flag bearer at the opening ceremony. In the ceremony, it was present Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the President of the Federative Republic of Brazil. Lula and Carlos Arthur Nuzman, president of the Brazilian Olympic Committee, lobbied for Rio de Janeiro's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics.