-
.
- Ελληνικά
It is a great pleasure and honour for me to participate in tonight's event. My presence, apart from being a sign of gratitude and recognition on behalf of the Cypriot State to Pavlos Kontides, who makes us constantly proud, aims to support the "Towards Paris" initiative, to support our talented young athletes, but also to strengthen the Cypriot delegation to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will take place this summer in Paris.
The inspirer and creator of this initiative is none other than our Olympic champion compatriot, Pavlos Kontidis, who, apart from his athletic performance all over the country, is distinguished and known for his ethics and his humanity. And that, my friend Pavlo, says a lot about you, your family, your parents who are always by your side, says a lot about the partners in sports for so many years.
Paul always had two wishes: to see the seas of Cyprus full of sails of sailing boats and sailing athletes and to see our Olympic team grow and be strong. And it is precisely in this context that he developed his initiative: To help achieve the goals I just mentioned. "Towards Paris", then, is the continuation of the "Towards Tokyo" programme that was presented in 2019 and helped substantially in the preparation of five athletes, three of whom eventually competed at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Towards Paris was introduced in late 2022 with the aim of supporting in various ways, financially, morally and in many other ways, athletes born after 1994 - and who do not belong to the "A" category of the COA Design - in order to prepare and qualify for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris in 2024. As a result of the 2023 initiative, seven athletes were supported and another three will be added to the 2024 team, meaning a total of ten athletes will benefit from Paul's initiative.
Pavlos Kontidis is using his popularity, which he has earned through hardships and toil, through many sacrifices - nothing but nothing has been given to him, on the contrary, in most cases these paths are lonely and difficult - to support his fellow athletes financially. He is not only a sporting role model for us and for his teammates, but he goes out of his way to support them financially to achieve their dreams.
Through these initiatives, Pavlos Kontidis externalizes his need to help the new generation of athletes in our country, because he went through the steps where all of them are today. For all that he does, I warmly congratulate him on behalf of the Cypriot State and the Cypriot people.
Sport as a value and as a way of life is a cornerstone of my administration and that is why we consider it our duty to be substantial supporters of initiatives that promote sport, let alone one such as tonight's initiative that promotes Olympism. After all, the Olympic Games are a national heritage from the depths of time, of which we are proud because fair play is a universal value and a universal ideal. That is why we have a dual responsibility, not only to preserve it, to safeguard it, but, at the same time, to enrich it through initiatives such as this evening's.
We are proud that our very small Cyprus gave birth to great athletes like Pavlos, both in performance and in moral stature, because at the end of the day the spirit of sport is a spirit of inclusion, solidarity and fair play.
Dear Pavlos, once again, on behalf of the Republic of Cyprus, the Cypriot State, I personally congratulate you for your performance and your ethics. And it matters to me because I know your story before I know you.
I congratulate your family, because I know very well what they have done all these years.
I am sure that other achievements in the field of sport will be added to the golden letters of your career, but I consider the most important one to be the solidarity you show not with words but with deeds towards your fellow athletes.
I wish you every success and I hope that your example will be emulated and inspire other compatriots.
(PM/EP/NZ)
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
