Special Olympics Romania team decorated by the President of Romania
The president of Romania, Traian Basescu, decorated the members of the Romanian delegation who participated in the Special Olympics World Winter Games, Idaho, SUA, as a sing of appreciation of the exceptional sports results, of dedication and fair-play, during a ceremony that took place at the Cotroceni Palace, Tuesday, 17 March 2009.
At the ceremony the president gave the “Honorary Medal for outstanding achievements in sports” to all the athletes and coaches (including Ioana Ciobanu, International Global Messenger).
At the end of the ceremony the president gave a speech:
“There is not much to say because you have already done this during the competitions. You won not only a sports competition, but also the competition with life. The desire to be the first one, the desire to compete, the desire to show your abilities were above your disabilities. You are strong people, people that deserve respect, people that I wanted to congratulate and thank for everything that you did for the society, for yourselves and for Romania. I congratulate you and I thank you very much for your achievements, but also for something that goes beyond achievement, that is the determination to be part of the society, the determination to not wait and complain, but to contribute to and integrate into the society at the highest level of achievement. Thank you once again and I reassure you that you are a model for me as well, an example of what it means the desire to live freely, to be part of the society, to overcome your limits, to not wait for others to give you, but to prove that when you want something you can take it yourself. Thank you very much for everything that you mean for the society. I congratulate you once again!”
