In portuguese, nearly everything has a gender. Você (You) is one of the few exceptions, but for “they” we have either eles (male) or elas (female), which will depend on what is being referred to. IE: they, the athletes = eles, os atletas (male), OR elas, as atletas (female).
Another example: the group = o grupo; it (the group) = ele (o grupo). Doesn’t matter what makes the group, “the group” is “male”.