Athletes and coaches who represented Lithuania at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Milan and Cortina honoured at the Ministry
Today, Raminta Popovienė, Minister of Education, Science and Sport, received and presented letters of appreciation at the Ministry to the athletes who represented Lithuania at the Milano Cortina Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as to their coaches and the sports organizations that trained them.
"Thank you all – athletes, coaches, federations, the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee and the Lithuanian Paralympic Committee – for allowing us to experience that sense of unity and pride in our country that we all feel when Lithuanian athletes take the field. This is a joint effort by all of you.
Watching you at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, seeing your fighting, your efforts, and your emotions, I often found myself thinking about the character of an athlete. After all, every start is the result of your personal motivation and years of discipline. Although medals are an important recognition – very tangible, very beautiful – it seems to me that the true meaning of sport lies in that feeling when you know you’ve given your all, fought honourably until the very end, and remained true to yourself,” said Raminta Popovienė, Minister of Education, Science, and Sports.
Lithuania was represented by 17 athletes at the Olympic Games – a record-breaking delegation for our country at the Winter Olympics.
The athletes and coaches were presented with letters of appreciation from the Minister of Education, Science, and Sports, while the ice dancers Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevičius also received a symbolic state prize check for their sixth-place finish at the Olympic Games. At the Olympic Games, the top eight places are considered medal-winning positions, and the athletes who finish in the top eight receive certificates confirming this. The Lithuanian state prize for an athlete who finishes sixth at the Olympic Games amounts to 153 BSI (Basic Social Benefit), which this year totals over EUR 11,300. For team sports, the amount is multiplied by the number of athletes and divided among the athletes, coaches and other members of the team, as decided by the athletes or the federation.
Many Lithuanian athletes set new personal or national records at the Olympic Games. For their achievements, four athletes – the ice dancing pair, biathlete Vytautas Strolia, and alpine skier Andrej Drukarov – have been awarded state scholarships for four or two years, ranging from EUR 2,300 to over EUR 3,000 per month.
“I am delighted that today we had the opportunity to once again reflect on the most memorable moments of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games, which will undoubtedly remain in the history of our sport and in the hearts of every athlete. I am sincerely grateful to the Minister for the attention she has shown to our athletes – such appreciation and support is extremely important, strengthening the athletes’ motivation and pride in representing Lithuania. I believe that this feeling of togetherness will continue to accompany us in our quest for new victories," said Daina Gudzinevičiūtė, President of the LNOC and Olympic champion.
This year, after a 32-year hiatus, Lithuania had a representative at the Winter Paralympic Games – snowboarder Rapolas Micevičius. He finished 9th in the snowboard cross event and 13th in the downhill slalom event at the Paralympic Winter Games.
“This was his Paralympic debut, and the result certainly didn’t disappoint. The Paralympic Games always boost interest in sports for people with disabilities. I believe this will continue after these Olympic Games, and winter sports will grow in popularity,” said Mindaugas Bilius, President of the Lithuanian Paralympic Committee and Paralympic champion.
NSA / Photo by V. Skaraitis