This Friday, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister called on the “national sports family” to take part in building “a country more open to sport”, saying the government wants to develop a “comprehensive plan” for the sector.
“We have already assumed that we want to build, design and implement what we still call a comprehensive plan for the development of sports in our country. But we don’t want to bring this comprehensive plan, show it to you and present it. We want to build from the bottom up, together with everyone, a national plan for the development of sports in our country in the broadest sense of the word,” explained Pedro Duarte.
In his speech at the 27th Sports Gala, which took place this Friday at the Carlos Lopez Pavilion in Lisbon, the man responsible for overseeing sports challenged those present: “Let us all build this country more open to sports.”
Earlier, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs began his speech by emphasizing the importance of being present at “such an important moment, such a defining moment in the sporting life of the country” and congratulating “all the federations, all the directors, all the athletes, all the coaches, all the families behind them “, who are honored today by the Portuguese Sports Confederation (CDP).
“As many people know, I am practically at the beginning of this path and this responsibility, which is a huge privilege for me, to have the opportunity to oversee such an area, sector as sports in the Government of the Republic. sector. […]. And for me, in these first days of my tenure, to have the opportunity to participate in such a meeting, at which the national sports family gathers so touchingly and beautifully, this is, in fact, also a huge privilege for me. But more than that, it’s a huge honor for me to have the opportunity to honestly be part of this moment in Portuguese sport,” he said.
Stating that he wanted to recognize “all the winners” and nominees of the Sports Gala, Pedro Duarte recalled that “behind the athletes, in fact, there is a whole structure that is very significant, from the coaches who are next to them to for a leader who is more secretive and less visible, but whose work is actually still critical.”
“I wanted to leave a message that is also a challenge for everyone: we all know how to maintain this unity, this union, this spirit of knowing how to build together. […] And if we have this potential, together we can build a country more open to sport, which promotes the values of sport, which understands the benefits of greater physical activity among the entire population, which understands the need to reduce the difference between men’s sport and women’s sport, which recognizes “that there are so many types of concepts of coexistence, respect, integrity that should be part of the values of sport, and that sport should pollute society with these good values,” he noted.
The minister also praised Pedro Diaz, the secretary of state for sports, saying he was lucky to have a “team captain” who was an “exceptional reinforcement.”
This Friday, at the 27th Sports Gala, swimmer Diogo Ribeiro and cyclist Maria Martins were recognized as the 2023 Athletes of the Year, while Carlos Lopez, Olympic champion of the 1984 Los Angeles Marathon, received the Alto Prestígio Award, the highest honor of the CDP.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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