The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, today received the delegation of the Special Olympics Macedonia, which took part in the World Winter Olympics, being held from January 25 to February 5, 2013 in Pyeongchang, South Korea, where our Olympians won outstanding results. In the competition of the 3014 athletes who competed in seven sports, Dimche Mihajlovski won a gold medal in alpine skiing, Daniela Panevska and Dimitar Megerov won one silver and one bronze medal in alpine skiing, while Katerina Krsteva was two times ranked at the fourth place in the alpine slide.

President Ivanov congratulated the members of the delegation on the achieved success and noted that he is continuously monitoring and firmly supporting the activities of the Special Olympics Macedonia. On behalf of all citizens of Macedonia, I congratulate you this great success, which warmed the hearts of all of us. Every goal is achievable and every dream can come true, if we are committed and responsible. You have proven this and made Macedonia proud, President Ivanov said. The Macedonian President stressed that the sport is one of the most successful ways of integration and socialization of persons with disabilities, and of raising awareness among the general public for providing appropriate assistance and support of these individuals. President Ivanov noted that the participation in such international sporting events contributes to the affirmation of our country.

The members of the delegation of the Special Olympics Macedonia commended on all previous initiatives of President Ivanov to support and promote their activities and expressed hope for even greater success in the future. President Ivanov also organized a reception for the members of the Special Olympics Macedonia after their participation in the World Summer Games in Greece in 2011 and the European Special Olympics in Poland in 2010.