Romanian President decorates athletes with good results at Rio Olympics and Paralympics

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will decorate all athletes who had “outstanding results” at the Olympic and Paralympic Games organised in Rio, Presidency spokesperson Mădălina Dobrovolschi said on Monday. The ceremony will take place at the Cotroceni Palace on Tuesday, September 27. "I want to emphasise that these decorations will be made at the proposal of sports minister Elisabeta Lipa. And also important, because there have been discussions in the public space, this time was specifically chosen by the President for the decoration because we want to show our gratitude to all athletes who have won major awards, medals both at the Olympics and the Paralympics," Dobrovolschi said. Romania finished 47th in the country ranking at the 2016 Rio Olympics with one gold medal, one silver, and three bronze. It was Romania’s poorest result at the Olympic Games since the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. At the Paralympics, Judoka Alex Bologa, 20, won the first and only medal for Romania on September 9. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com