Rome: the congratulations of the Minister of Defense Hon. Guido Crosetto to the Olympic and Paralympic athletes belonging to the Defense Sports groups.

Immediately after the greeting of the President of the Republic to the Olympic and Paralympic athletes, also the Minister of Defense, Hon. Guido Crosetto, wanted greet and thank the athletes of the Defense Sports Groups, in particular the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Carabinieri and the Defence Paralympic Sports Group (GSPD) who won a total of 31 medals at the recent Paris Olympics.

Among others, the 1st Rank (Honor Roll) of the Army was also present. Monica Graziana Contrafatto, who won the bronze medal in the 100-meter final, after a daring and exciting finish that we will remember for a long time.

“Thank you for having represented Italy with honor, for giving us unforgettable emotions and for showing the value of sacrifice and the strength of the sense of belonging to the tricolor jersey and flag. Each of you is here today because you have earned the path you have followed with your commitment and your abilities. For this reason – Minister Crosetto continued – “you you are a role model, that we all can and must value, in overcoming those moments of difficulty that we face every day. Because the first defense that we must carry out, after that of the Homeland, is that of the values, of sacrifice and commitment. And we do it and will always do it!” concluded the Minister of Defense.

The event was attended, among others, by the Undersecretary of State for Defense, Senator Isabella Rauti, the Heads of the Armed Forces and the Gold Medal for Military Valor, Lt. Col. Gianfranco Paglia, captain of the GSPD.

The Defence Paralympic Team won a total of 12 medals: 6 bronzes, 2 silvers and 3 golds from the Sports Group, in addition to the bronze medal of the 1st Honor Roll Graduate Monica Graziana Contrafatto of the Italian Army.
Olympic athletes won 8 bronzes, 7 silvers and 4 golds.