Ambassador Galey said, Arshad and Haider, definitely won their medals, and magnificently. But all of you, Pakistani athletes, you took part, you competed, you went to the end of your strength to do the best you could. For that, you all deserve our respect and our admiration, and that of your country

DNA

ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of France to Pakistan Nicolas Galey congratulated gold medallist Arshad Nadeem and Bronze medalist Haider Ali, Olympic and Paralympic athletes, adding two months ago, on July 8, he was happy and honored, with the entire French embassy team and all our guests, to receive many of you at the embassy, as the Pakistani teams were preparing to fly to Paris for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The ambassador expressed these views during a reception he hosted for Arshad and Haider Ali, at his residence.

He further said, Pakistan’s Olympic and Paralympic delegations in Paris were not the largest ones – especially the Paralympic delegation! But what a success with few participants! A gold medal in the javelin throw – Pakistan’s first individual medal in the history of the Olympic Games. And a bronze medal in the discus throw.

‘’In July, before you left, I recalled the well-known formula of Pierre de Coubertin, who had this very modern idea of resurrecting the Olympic Games: “The most important thing in the Olympic Games, he said, is not to win but to take part.”.

He added, Arshad and Haider, definitely won their medals, and magnificently. But all of you, Pakistani athletes, you took part, you competed, you went to the end of your strength to do the best you could. For that, you all deserve our respect and our admiration, and that of your country.

‘’It represents years of effort, often in solitude and without support or encouragement other than that of your families, friends and coaches, to participate in this unique event for any athlete: the Olympic and Paralympic Games’’.

The ambassador said, for two weeks, in August and September, you had this unique experience for athletes: living with other athletes from all over the world, interacting with competitors from the other side of the planet, sharing together the Olympic and Paralympic passion.

‘’And I would like to highlight the specific impact of the Paralympic Games. Paralympians are athletes, like any other – and many do not like to be considered heroes. But they are certainly less well-known than others, and the Paralympic competitions showed the world, including the Pakistani public, that accidents of genetics or life do not prevent anyone from achieving incredible feats’’.

He also saluted the eight young Pakistanis who travelled to France with the Right to Play association, which the Embassy was pleased to support and accompany for this great project which allowed them, among many other activities, to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

‘’ A big thank you to Mr. Ali Khayam and the Right to Play team for your dedication to promoting sport as a tool for social integration, particularly for young girls. In this regard, the Embassy is proud to work with you for the organization of a women’s basketball tournament next month’’.

While dilating upon the French performance he said first of all, a real satisfaction with the performance of the French teams: with 64 medals including 16 gold, France ranks 5th at the Olympic Games, and 8th at the Paralympic Games with 75 medals including 19 gold. With more than 10 million tickets sold, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games have set a new record, held since 1996 by the Atlanta Games.

By adding the Paralympic Games, more than 12 million tickets were sold in total, one million more than at the London Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012.

And another figure to note: 263.000 tickets were sold for the Paralympic swimming competitions in September ; this is more than for the Olympic swimming events in August, and it is a very encouraging statistic which shows how popular Paralympic sport has become, and that it now attracts a very wide audience, the Ambassador added.