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We need to move on to the next step, which is the establishment of a Deputy Ministry of Sports, said yesterday evening the President of the Republic Mr.Nikos Christodoulides, who warmly congratulated the Cypriot athletes for their victories and their performance in the European Small States Games.
In his statements to journalists while attending the inauguration of the Cyprus Observatory and Planetarium, in the Holy Metropolis of Tamassos and Orini, and in response to a journalist's remark that, yes, we see red envelopes in football, but at the same time we also see successes of our athletes, as for example in the Games of Small States, the President of the Republic said: "first and foremost we should congratulate our athletes, coaches, assistants, the whole team. They make us proud."
And indeed at the same time there is this negative image with the red envelopes that must be investigated immediately. In fact, as a state we are going to take an initiative, in cooperation with the relevant authorities. It is something that does not honour anyone, something that does not honour our country, something that takes people away from sport. And serious measures will have to be taken in order not to have this kind of phenomena again. Anything that tarnishes the name of our country does not honour us and when we have such phenomena we should approach them as an opportunity to end these phenomena."
Asked if there is an intention of the government to create a Deputy Ministry of Sports, the President of the Republic said: "there is, indeed it was in my pre-election programme. I think that we should go to the next step. The victories of our athletes, the performance of our athletes in the Games of small states in Malta show us the way."
Asked about the appointment of Ms Anna Aristotelous to the Office of the Commissioner for the Presidency and the criticisms from the AKEL side, the President of the Republic said: "it is good to wait to see announcements before criticising."
Ms Aristotelous has been transferred as a civil servant to the Office of the Presidential Commissioner to deal with issues of stranded and missing persons. There are other issues in the Office of the Presidential Commissioner, for example the issue of expatriates, where someone else will be appointed.
Beyond that, I remember the statements of the former General Secretary of AKEL when he visited the Prisons when Ms Aristotelous was there, with what flattering words he spoke about Ms Aristotelous. Beyond that, you realise that some people like to criticise any issue. We are here to be judged by society on a daily basis."
(PM/MB)
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