The President of the Hellenic Republic Ms Katerina Sakellaropoulou welcomed in the garden of the Presidential Megaron the athletes, delegates and coaches of the Hellenic Paralympic Delegation that participated in Tokyo Paralympic Games and won 11 medals.
The team was accompanied by the President of the Hellenic Paralympic Committee Christos Kaloudis, the First Vice President Ioannis Karakoulakis, the General Secretary Christos Tzamoussis, the Treasurer of the HPC Aris Pananos, the Member Andreas Katsaros, the Member at large Ioannis Vatikiotis, the Chef de Mission Tokyo 2020 Sasa Gufa, the President of the National Sports Federation for People with Disabilities Ioanna Karyofylli, the President of the HWBF, Harris Perdikis, the Secretary General of the HSFPD (and chief Doctor of the Greek delegation in Tokyo), Spyros Spyrou and the Member of the HSFPD, Konstantinos Siajos, the doctors of the delegation and Board members of the Hellenic Paralympic Committee.
The meeting was attended by the Deputy Minister of Culture and Sports Lefteris Avgenakis and the Secretary General of Sports George Mavrotas.
During the welcome speech the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mrs Sakellaropoulou said the following:
“I welcome you here today with pride and emotion. Not only because of your medals and successes. But for the mental strength, the spiritual concentration, the indomitable will with which you were involved with sport, for the fortitude you show every day in your confrontation with the body and its limits. It is you, who remind us that no difficulty can stop someone when he has faith in himself and in his abilities, when he is not daunted by failure and defeat because, deep down, he knows that they are fleeting. You, who have embraced the certainty that “everything impossible is possible” and affirm it in your daily struggle. You, who with your dedication, your courage, your inspiring determination you encourage other young people, whether or not they have mobility, sensory or mental problems, to ‘fair play’.
I would like to congratulate all the members of the Hellenic Paralympic Team, the escorts, the coaches, and of course I would like to warmly congratulate all the athletes who won medals in Tokyo, as well as all those who participated in such a demanding event, regardless of their distinctions. You are a great example of the indisputable truth that the body is subordinate to the spirit and that its imperfections very often do not imply passivity but strength. I hope that your brilliant presence at the Games and your daily participation in sporting life will help to combat the stereotypes, exclusion and discrimination suffered by people with disabilities. You, with your lifestyle, are leading the way. And you remind us of the debt we owe to you in order to have a dignified, creative and equal everyday life.”
The Deputy Minister of Sports, Lefteris Avgenakis, highlighted his presence in Tokyo where he was with the athletes and watched the magnificent effort of them. Mr. Avgenakis stressed that in a short time the Paralympic Sports Centre in Rafina will be ready, as promised, according to the announcements. The President of the HPC Christos Kaloudis offered a commemorative present to the President of the Hellenic Republic.
