President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, has expressed satisfaction over the growth of sports in the country as a result of the priority his government placed during his administration.
Speaking on Thursday during the presentation of the awards of excellence of the Cyprus Union of Sportswriters, President Anastasiades referred to plans for the holistic modernization and upgrading of sports that includes the modernization of the Cyprus Sports Organization, which will implement the state’s policy, as well as locating and utilizing talents by strengthening the CSO’s programmes. He also referred to funding athletes who achieve high performance and another plan to support promising young athletes.
President Anastasiades referred to the operation of sports’ schools and programmes such as Secondary Education Sports Schools.
He noted the government’s new National Sports’ Strategy that was prepared through the new sports legislation undertaken by the Cyprus Sports Organisation.
President Anastasiades also said that a new plan for the Professional Rehabilitation of High Performance Athletes was adopted while subsidies for athletes, clubs and academies were increased, new funding criteria for sports organizations were prepared while the Code of Good Governance was implemented, within the framework of which controls by federations were intensified, with the ultimate goal of managing their financial resources as correctly and effectively as possible.
President Anastasiades underlined the establishment of the Committee on Ethics and Protection of Sports, on the basis of the Law on combating manipulation of sports’ events and the implementation of significant sports structures which contribute to the multifaceted development of sports.
According to President Anastasiades, from 2018 70 projects costing more than 60 million euros have been completed or are underway.
These include the construction of the New Limassol Stadium, the construction of tennis facilities in Larnaca, the total renovation and upgrading of the Nicosia Swimming Pool, the Doxa Football Stadium in Katokopia and the Kormakitis Stadium, the creation of an artistic gymnastics training center for the Byron Club in Larnaca, the start of works of the Maronite Sporting Center in Lakatamia, the reconstruction of the Athletics facilities of the GSP and commencing reconstruction works at the Sports’ facilities of Stelios Kyriakides in Paphos.
I am absolutely certain that based on the close cooperation of all parties involved and the suggestions and proposals for improving practices, there will be even greater victories, the President remarked.
He also congratulated the winners and candidates in the various categories, saying they greatly contribute to Cyprus sports.
He congratulated the Union of Cyprus Sportswriters for the awards which provide athletes with individual and collective incentives to continue their efforts with even more perseverance.
Source: Cyprus News Agency