The Secretary of State and Head of the Department for Defense Policy, Planning and International Relations, Simona Cojocaru, and the Chief of the Defense Staff (SMAp), General Gheorghita Vlad, welcomed the Invictus team within the return ceremony on Tuesday, at the headquarters of the Ministry of National Defense (MApN).
"The festive event reveals the interest and appreciation of the leadership of the Ministry of National Defense towards our colleagues, the Invictus military athletes, who recently returned from this year's edition of the Invictus Paralympic Games, organized in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada, between February 8-16," the MApN said in a release.
The head of the SMAp thanked the Invictus team, which he considers to be "a story about duty and sacrifice, falling and rising, recovery and determination, alongside family and friends".
"You are an example for all", concluded General Gheorghita Vlad, who handed out awards and honorary diplomas to the competitors, as well as to those who contribute to supporting the Invictus project.
The team captain, retired platoon sergeant major Daniel Porumb, said that "the games are over, but the story continues. We want our example to be a source of inspiration for others".
The Invictus Games debuted in 2014, under the patronage of Prince Harry of Great Britain, as a civic, educational project, designed for the purpose of physical and mental recovery through sports, and raising awareness and awareness of civil society regarding the recognition that should be given to soldiers injured in military actions.
After the editions in Toronto (2017), Sydney (2018), The Hague (2022), Dusseldorf (2023), Romania participated for the fifth time in the Invictus Games, with a team made up of 19 wounded service people, classified with degrees I, II and III of disability or limited ability, in seven individual adaptive sports disciplines, namely alpine skiing, snowboarding, Nordic skiing, curling, swimming, indoor rowing, and one team - sitting volleyball.
In the five editions in which it participated, Invictus Team Romania won 49 medals - 18 gold, 18 silver and 13 bronze.
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