The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, pointed out this Saturday that Fernando Pimenta was the athlete who received the most decorations in recent years, after being questioned about the criticism made by the canoeist.
“I have the intention, as soon as I can, to call him to congratulate him,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, after being questioned about the criticism directed at him today by canoeist Fernando Pimenta, who won his 133rd medal in major international competitions.
The President of the Republic addressed the journalists at the São Tomé and Príncipe airport, where he landed at 5:56 p.m., to participate in the XIV Summit of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP).
Marcelo pointed out that Fernando Pimenta is perhaps the athlete who has received the most decorations in recent years.
“He wasn’t a footballer, he was a canoeist,” stressed Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, adding that Fernando Pimenta “has already deserved it several times”, being 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 office of the President of the Republic announced that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa had already spoken with the canoeist, a native of Santo Tomé.
According to an update to a note published on the presidential website, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa “spoke by phone with Fernando Pimenta as soon as he landed in São Tomé, at 7:00 p.m. in Lisbon, having agreed on the new decoration.”
Fernando Pimenta “will thus be the most decorated athlete by the current President of the Republic, who has already awarded him on two other occasions.”
The canoeist Fernando Pimenta considered today that the President of the Republic should “have more criteria” in the receptions and decorations for Portuguese athletes at the Belém Palace, considering that he is subject to unequal treatment.
“Honestly, there should be more criteria to be received by the President of the Republic. I was the only medalist of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games who was not received, justifying that I already had that award,” he illustrated, in statements to RTP.
Around 4:40 p.m., the Presidency of the Republic published a note on the “site” in which it congratulated three-time champion Fernando Pimenta.
“With this third gold medal in the world championships, which combines the bronze medal achieved yesterday in K1 500 meters and qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Fernando Pimenta achieves a new extraordinary feat for national sport and, in particular, for canoeing, in a long career in which he has always represented Portugal at the highest level, and which makes the President of the Republic and all Portuguese people proud”, affirms the President of the Republic in the note.
Source: TSF
