The Romanian Paris Olympics medal winners received on Friday customized SUVs from ex-tennis pro and billionaire business tycoon Ion Tiriac, at an event organized at the Tiriac Collection Show in Otopeni.

„We are here to pay our tribute, our due reward and respect to these people who have at last given us a ray of sunshine in Paris, who have shown us that maybe we are on the right track, that maybe little by little we are about to live up to our former achievements. Perhaps we can change our children’s mentality, make them put the tablet aside and do something else, if the parents have sound reason, and perhaps we get back to where we once were. You did a lot, you did a lot more than what we would have credited you with. What I, Tiriac, the Tiriac family or the foundation are doing isn’t much, we just tried to put our bit there. Thank you once again, I hope we are headed for a pretty bright future,” Ion Tiriac told the event.

He also expressed his hope that the Romanian state will invest more in sports infrastructure and pay more attention to sports: „I had the pleasure of meeting the prime minister yesterday and he said that he will honor his promise, that they are now starting with infrastructure and earmarking money for sports. I believe they will do it.”

The businessman offered the athletes Hyundai Ioniq 5s and kept one car of the same model for his collection, asking the awardees to sign it.

„I will keep this car in the museum and I would please have you sign it for me too, everyone has their place. There are about a thousand visitors a week and children who come to the museum, and they must see what Romania meant at Paris 2024,” Tiriac said.

Gymnast Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, who placed 4th in the controversial women’s floor final of the Paris Olympic Games was also a car recipient.

The athletes were presented with Hyundai Ioniq 5 cars with number plates customized with their names, and their achievements inscribed on the doors. The Paris double medal winners received two cars.

Apart from the lineup of medalists, the event organized at the Tiriac Collection Show in Otopeni was attended by president of the National Sports Agency Elisabeta Lipa, president of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee Mihai Covaliu, tennis players Simona Halep and Sorana Cirstea, and former tennis glory Ilie Nastase.

Romania won nine medals at the Olympic Games in Paris – three gold, four silver and two bronze.

AGERPRES