Carnaval: Rio evaluates changes in school judging criteria for 2022

Organizer of the Special Group parades, the Independent League of Samba Schools of Rio de Janeiro (Liesa) is studying changes in the rules of the party. Changes that would already take effect in the Carnival of 2022 and would change the criteria for defining the title, held by Viradouro, from Niterói, since the last edition, which took place in 2020.

The entity held a cycle of meetings with different segments and will present a set of proposals to the plenary, formed by the presidents of the associations. Among the proposals are the return of the joint item. If this happens, the fashion shows will once again be decided by ten criteria, and not nine more, as has been the case since 2015.

The joint question is criticized by most of the carnival groups and carnival commissions. They understand that the criterion provokes double punishment, since the associations can be penalized in the items in which they presented problems, and that this can also be reflected in new discounts together.

President of Liesa, Jorge Perlingeiro wants to allow each juror to assign an extra tenth to the school that makes the best presentation in the category in which they evaluate. The measure, of course, would only be valid for associations that scored a ten. The idea is to choose the best of the best for the evaluator in that criterion. However, the bonus would be optional. The objective is to avoid using tie-breakers in defining the champion.

“The level of competition at Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is very high. The schools are excellent and many end up deserving a ten. The idea is for each judge to choose the association that was different and showed something more in each item. But it will be optional, the jury will be able to understand, for example, that all did well and that none deserves this deference”, says Perlingeiro. However, the topic will also be evaluated in the plenary.

The presidents will also debate other issues, such as the end of discards. Currently, on Ash Wednesday, when the counting takes place, the lowest grades assigned to schools in each item are discarded, in order to avoid distortions in the judgments. The presidents of the associations will also evaluate the possibility of the judges closing the envelopes with the notes after each night of parade, and not at the end of all the presentations.

In this case, the objective is to avoid discrepancies such as the concentration of champions originating from the Monday parades, and not on Sunday, when those involved believe that the judges are more rigid, waiting for an impactful presentation. “We are trying alternatives to correct these distortions. In the last 35 carnivals, the associations that performed on Monday were champions 29 times. We believe that this is not a coincidence”, concludes the president of Liesa.

The plenary that will bring together the presidents of the 12 schools in the Special Group has yet to take place, but Liesa’s forecast is that it be scheduled for an interval of less than 15 days.

Carnival 2022

For next year’s fashion show, Marquês de Sapucaí will undergo works. A resurfacing will be carried out on the track, with a special floor, and gullies will be placed on both sides of the Passarela do Samba. Currently, there is only one. The objective is to prevent the track from being flooded in case of heavy rain during the presentations, as has happened in other carnivals. The bidding for the works has already been authorized by the City of Rio and will cost R$ 1.8 million.

Liesa also promises new lighting for the sambódromo as early as 2022. According to the entity, the first tests have already been carried out and there will still be improvements in the sound cars, to prevent failures like those that happened in recent years to be repeated. In January, when the technical tests begin, the entity will carry out sound and light tests. The Rio de Janeiro Special Group parades will take place on February 27th and 28th (Sunday and Monday).