Opening speech by the Minister of Education, Sport and Youth of the Republic of Cyprus, Dr Athena Michaelidou, at the signing ceremony of the MoU between Cyprus and China on Cooperation in the field of Sports

From:

Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth

08/05/25 17:41 | Speech / Address | Education, Sport and Youth

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth for the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in the field of Sports between the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth of the Republic of Cyprus and the General Administration of Sport of the People’s Republic of China.

Today’s event proves in practice the will of the competent authorities of the Republic of Cyprus and the People’s Republic of China to promote and strengthen the cooperation between the two countries in the field of sports.

Cyprus has traditionally had friendly relations with China based on mutual respect, equality, and mutual benefit. The Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth seeks to maintain and further develop Cyprus-China bilateral relations in the fields of its competence. Besides our educational relations that have been consistently upgraded in the last few years, our intention is to strengthen bilateral relations in the rapidly growing field of sports and physical education as well.

Cyprus’ government gives much weight to the promotion of sports and the sporting spirit in general. Among our goals is the further development of competitive sports, which we consider to be the best ambassador of our country abroad.

In this direction, we have prioritised the substantial support of our country’s athletes, both at the team and individual level. In this context, our effort is to contribute to the internationalisation of the Cypriot sports. Cooperation with other countries in the field of sports strengthen the prestige of Cypriot sports, communicate its practices internationally, and introduce innovative methods applied by other sport systems. Sport brings the peoples of the whole world closer, fosters a spirit of peace and cooperation between different nations, and can be an effective foreign policy and diplomatic tool.

With the Memorandum we are signing today, we seek to upgrade our cooperation with China in matters of mutual sporting interest, as well as to promote sporting relations between the two countries at the highest possible level.

More specifically, this MoU aims to strengthen the cooperation between our two countries through activities, such as:

(a) organisation of sports events;

(b) participation of national sports teams and athletes in sport events in both countries;

(c) exchange of visits by athletes, sports delegations, experts, competent officials, and specialists in the field of sports and physical education;

(d) joint participation in seminars and conferences on management methods in sport;

(e) exchange of information and expertise on issues of mutual interest, such as anti-doping control, sport infrastructure, and sport-related information technology;

(f) cooperation in specific sports, jointly decided by the competent authorities of the two countries.

In conclusion, I would like to thank the Cyprus Sports Organisation, which, as the competent authority responsible for the implementation of this MoU, has contributed significantly to the finalisation of the Memorandum’s text. I would also like to express our warm thanks to the Embassy of China and especially to the Ambassador Liu Yantao for his continuous efforts to further strengthen bilateral relations between Cyprus and China.

I am confident that this MoU will broaden and deepen our cooperation and will create many opportunities in the field of sports for both countries.

(ΙP/GS/NZ)

Opening speech by the Minister of Education, Sport and Youth of the Republic of Cyprus, Dr Athena Michaelidou, at the signing ceremony of the MoU between Cyprus and China on Cooperation in the field of Sports

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