The Prime Minister expressed his conviction on Friday that Portugal is capable of achieving the goal of four medals at the Paris Olympics, “or even exceeding it”, but he refused to put pressure on the athletes, to whom he promised to give “the necessary means”.
“I wish we could still overcome the four [medalhas] but that is the wish of every Portuguese. I don’t think we need to put more pressure on top of the pressure that is already high, which athletes are used to dealing with, even the most experienced ones, like Fernando Pimenta,” said Luis Montenegro in Paris, France, after being asked about the goal set by the Portuguese Olympic Committee (COP).
The CEO was speaking to reporters immediately after watching Portuguese canoeists João Ribeiro and Messias Baptista take sixth place in the K2 500m final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games today.
The Prime Minister considered the sixth place of the two Portuguese athletes “historic”, even without an Olympic medal.
“They worked, they sacrificed to be good, to be the best, to be at the top, and it is this spirit that we must extend to everything that is our potential, whether in sport, but it also applies to the economy, services to society, culture for all areas of activity where we have to overcome obstacles, difficulties and achieve more than others,” he defended.
Luis Montenegro confirmed the government’s “recognition and gratitude” for the efforts of Portuguese athletes and assured that the leader will be here “in the coming years to try to provide the necessary means to develop this potential.”
“Because after a certain level, when you reach high competition, the athlete’s potential alone is no longer enough, you need training conditions, control, (…) This, as we have seen, is now being decided in detail and the details are being clarified. It requires a lot of effort. As they say, luck requires a lot of work,” he emphasized.
Montenegro assured that sport “is a state policy supported by the government” and emphasized the physical and mental benefits of sports.
Speaking to reporters, the CEO was wearing an official Portugal Olympic team polo shirt that pays homage to Minho’s embroidery, which he admitted was intentional.
“I came here in a formal suit on purpose to say that I am here in body and soul, in a T-shirt with the athletes,” he said.