Education Minister Athena Michaelidou on Thursday affirmed her commitment to supporting and advancing Cypriot sports during an award ceremony honouring athletes who participated in the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.

The athletes were honoured for their achievements, sporting conduct and dedication.

“Apart from the great results they managed to achieve, our athletes were also distinguished for their excellent, exemplary ethics and fair play,” she said. She added that the ministry’s aim is to give them the necessary guarantees to continue to engage in sports, achieve their goals and be able to excel.

Michaelidou stressed the “commitment to the implementation of policies that, among other things, promote the development of athletes and their professional rehabilitation, equality in sport in all aspects and parameters, the development of mass sports programmes, upgraded operation and the creation of additional sports infrastructure based on international standards and needs.”

The minister also highlighted the importance of improving school sports to encourage children’s participation in healthy activities. She expressed her satisfaction that “the ongoing enhancement of sports schools is yielding results, strengthening both sports education and school athletics.”

Addressing the attendees, Olympian Pavlos Kontides stressed that the next four to eight years will be crucial for Cyprus sports. He cautioned against losing momentum from recent successes and suggested introducing personal development classes in schools to benefit sports and broader aspects of life. He said that in this context Cypriot athletes could make more regular speeches in schools.

President of the Cyprus Paralympic Committee Andreas Roumbas commended athletes for setting high standards and inspiring others by overcoming challenges through passion and belief. He also called for greater support from all stakeholders to ensure equality and opportunity.

Secretary-General of the Cyprus Olympic Committee and head of the 2024 delegation Georgios Nikou described this year’s Olympic participation as Cyprus’ best-ever. He congratulated the athletes for their excellent results and assured continued efforts for sports development in collaboration with the ministry.

On behalf of the Cyprus Olympians, Costas Papacostas expressed gratitude to the Cyprus Sports Organisation and the Christodoulides government for their support. He said the organisation undertook 30 initiatives in 2024 and emphasised the importance of collaborating with national Olympic committees.

Among the honourees were Olympic team members including Andri Christoforou (cycling), swimming siblings Kalia and Nikolas Antoniou, Alexandros Tofalides (fencing), Marilena Makri (sailing), Olivia Fotopoulou (track and field), Konstantina Nikolaou (shooting), Natasha Lappa (sailing), Vera Tougouloukova (rhythmic gymnastics), Denis Tarantin (sailing), Sofia Asvesta (judo), Milan Trajkovic (track and field), Elena Koulitsenko (track and field), Marios Georgiou (gymnastics) and Pavlos Kontides (sailing).

Paralympic athletes honoured were Viktoras Pentaras (long jump), Maria Markou (weightlifting) and Karolina Pelendritou (swimming).