“I intend to call you as soon as possible to congratulate you,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, after being questioned about the criticism of him by canoeist Fernando Pimenta, who won his 133rd medal in the biggest international competitions by winning she became world champion K1 1,000 meters at the canoe world championships.
The president of the republic spoke to journalists at the airport of São Tomé and Príncipe, where he landed at 5:56 pm, to participate in the XIV summit of the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP).
Marcelo pointed out that Fernando Pimenta is perhaps the sportsman who has received the most awards in recent years.
“He was not a footballer, he was a canoeist,” underlined Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, adding that Fernando Pimenta “deserved it several times already”, having been decorated once by his predecessor Jorge Sampaio and twice by himself.
“He will be by far the most decorated,” he said.
After these statements, the press service of the President of the Republic announced that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa had already spoken with the canoeist from São Tomé.
The canoeist Fernando Pimenta on Saturday believed that the president of the republic “should have more criteria” in the receptions and awards for Portuguese sportsmen at the Palace of Belém, as he feels he is the target of unequal treatment.
“Sincerely, there should be stricter criteria to be received by the President of the Republic. I was the only medalist in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games not to be received, which justifies that I already had that award” , he illustrated in statements to RTP, after winning the K1 world title in the 1,000 meters.
At around 4:40 p.m., the Presidency of the Republic posted a note on the “site” in which it congratulated three-time champion Fernando Pimenta.
“With this third gold medal at the world championships, which combines yesterday’s bronze medal in the K1 500 meters with qualification for the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, Fernando Pimenta delivers another extraordinary achievement for the national sport and for canoeing in particular, in a long time.” career in which he has always represented Portugal at the highest level, and of which the President of the Republic and the entire Portuguese people are very proud,” the President of the Republic said in the note.
Source: DN
