We decided to show kids that there are many other mini-courts around, hidden in common places like stairs, clothesline and walkways. To see these “Unexpected Courts”, all they needed was the same creativity they have for finding soccer fields.

Design and rules were adjusted to comply with walls, steps and holes. So, in the “Stairs Basketball” Court, throws from each step bellow gives higher scores. In “Pillar Volleyball’s”, attackers can spike against the pillars to complicate the opponent’s defense. And on the “Walkway Sprint” Track, the only rule is not running over anyone. All together, we redesigned seven disciplines, including Goalball, an official sport for blind people.

By painting examples of the selected spots with the same colors of the original courts, we could give a new lease of life for this places and show the power of our paints on recreating spaces.

Seven spots were colored: the “Stairs Basketball” court, the “Pillar Volleyball” court, the “Walkway Sprint” track, the “Bench Hockey” court, the “Any Table Tennis” court, the “Rugbyish” field and the “Goalball (on the Wall)” court, an official sport for blind people.

Stairs were covered in blue to form a basketball key with increasing scores. Under a clothesline attached to cable car’s pillars, a blue volleyball floor. Soccer field’s barred sidelines now serve as rugby goals. Also: park’s benches were painted into yellow hockey goals; a walkway became a 30 meters red track; an old table gained colors to host table tennis; and a short wall is now the goalpost for Goalball.

For equipment, simple solutions like a bicycle rim tire as the basket and soda metal rings for the net; and painted umbrellas and canes as sticks.

Coral’s circuit in Dona Marta already covers 100m2 of total painted area.

Coral Paints’ unexpected courts have become an example on how paint can recreate spaces and revitalize them. Since courts were an immediate success among kids, the Residents Association is now holding sport classes there.

Rio de Janeiro’s State Sport Secretary embraced the project to take it to more places. A website under creative commons license and ten thousand handout booklets are available for instructions. And a second project is being already planned in Favela Cantagalo, other important community in the city.

The courts were included in favela’s official tours. Since then, thousands of tourists and school students have already been inspired by the Coral’ Circuit to reproduce the idea.

With the power of painting, Coral Paints is bringing the Games closer to our kids. And they now may realize sports come in many shapes... And colors.

Coral Paints has a strong penetration in the market of low-income families. The brand even has a store office in Favela Dona Marta, an iconic slum in Rio de Janeiro, where it also implements social projects and voluntary task forces for painting houses.

We decided to use the brand’s presence there for bursting our idea. Dona Marta is a touristic point that, like all the other favelas in Rio, it’s overpopulated and few spots are still available. So our designers went after public spaces in the community that could be painted as the “Unexpected Courts.” By accomplishing the mission in this favela with large media exposition, we could prove our point and count on the idea’s originality to draw attention through spontaneous media and public support.

Brazilian kids picture soccer fields anywhere. But for most of them, other sports seem expensive or distant. Even with the upcoming arrival of multi sports events in Rio, poor children only get in touch with few other sports inside schools, while in physical classes. That’s why in places like Favelas, where empty spaces are rare, remaining spots only become improvised as soccer fields.

Coral Paints, an AkzoNoble’s popular brand in Brazil, saw an opportunity to do something that could engage low-income families in the mood for the events. The brand has a highly penetration in popular market and wanted to be key for this transformation, demonstrating its diverse portfolio of colors for different surfaces.

Since our idea should match the reality of these consumers, we had to use paint and much creativity to find space for alternative sports in the heart of our target.