The President stated, "The Popular Administration has expanded and generalised the approach to the professional and recreational functions of sports to educational, health-enhancing, economic and diplomatic functions, and today an important part of these measures has begun".
Speaking before noon on Monday at the ceremony held for praising the country's sports heroes and medal winners, Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi described it a universal duty to appreciate and honour the country's heroes who hoisted the proud flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran and said, "Our country's champions also have a duty to increase their efforts in the position of champions so that they don't stop at the point where they are and put science and technical improvement on their agenda to excel at different world levels".
The President described the chivalry, bravery and heroic character of Imam Ali (AS) as a model and inspiration for all heroes and notables and added, "The fact that a character like Imam Ali (AS) treats the oppressed with humility and spends his courage and chivalry defending the oppressed and fighting the oppressor, it is an inspiration for our heroes".
Dr Raisi stated that the heroism of our medal winning men and women is not just standing on the platform, but rather waving the flag of a country that has fought for justice in the world, and stated, "Bringing this honour in a situation where the enemies do not tolerate the right-seeking and justice-seeking of the holy system of the Islamic Republic, which is a thorn in the side of the greedy and domineering in the world, is valuable".
The President further added, "Today, our heroes and medallists, in addition to winning the title for themselves, are also a source of pride for the country and the holy system of the Islamic Republic of Iran, for which we should always be grateful".
Dr Raisi considered identity, social unity, creating solidarity and an atmosphere of hope and vitality in the society as among the very important effects of sports and said, "Many works have been done for the expansion of public and professional sports, and many other efforts and measures will be taken since then".
Referring to the demands of female athletes, the President further stated that our women have brought many honours to the country in the fields of science, research, social and sports, and emphasised, "Women's sports must be given more attention than in the past, and the obstacles and problems should be removed from the path of female athletes".
Emphasising the necessity of updating sports equipment in all sports, Dr Raisi said, "All the equipment used for training and improving the technical level of athletes must be updated".
The President also emphasised the need to observe justice in different athletes benefiting from privileges, and clarified, "Privileges that are considered for Olympic athletes, especially in the field of education, should also be awarded to Paralympic champions".
Dr Raisi continued by stating that the expansion of sports in the society will lead to the disappearance of depression and apathy and will bring hope and vitality in the society, and emphasised the need to pay special attention to the field of public sports and also to improve the technical capabilities of the activists of the championship sports sector.
The President emphasised the importance of ethics in professional sports and said, "If the late Takhti is a role model among athletes today, it is because of his heroic spirit, chivalry, and ethics that should be taken into consideration by our athletes".
Referring to the necessity of facilitation in the field of sports, including popular, championship and ancient sports, Dr Raisi added, "One of the examples of facilitation in the field of sports is the facilitation of rules and regulations in sports management, and efforts should be made to ensure that the country's sports community activists do not face obstacles".
The President further emphasised the important issue of sports economy and said, "Sports economy should not be allowed to fall into the hands of brokers to sacrifice this important issue for their own interests and profiteering".
Dr Raisi also emphasised the necessity of using the capacity of knowledge-based companies to update sports knowledge and equipment and stated, "The knowledge-based nature of our sports fields is a very important issue that must be taken into account".
The President stated, "The Popular Administration has expanded and generalised the approach to the professional and recreational functions of sports to educational, health-enhancing, economic and diplomatic functions, and today an important part of these measures has begun".
Referring to the government's prioritisation of the completion of half-finished plans and projects, Dr Raisi said, "Today, in the two-year anniversary of the government, I am reporting that about 2,000 half-finished sports projects have been completed in the country".
Dr Raisi further considered the attention to the livelihood, insurance and job conditions of the heroes and veterans as important and important issues and said, "Attention to these issues will make the heroes more determined to walk the path of becoming a champion".
The President stated that a balanced and fair view of the development and distribution of resources and credits in the sports of the provinces and cities has been emphasised and paid attention to by the government, adding, "It is also important for us to support the sports of special groups such as veterans, the blind and the deaf".
Dr Raisi urged the officials and Presidents of the federations to pay attention to the issues, problems and demands of the athletes and champions in such a way that the champions are only concerned about the championship.
Dr Raisi added, "Medal winning and heroism will be lasting if it is spent on religion, defense of the oppressed and divine and human values, not on the demands of aliens for whom humans have an expiration date".
At the beginning of his speech, Dr Raisi thanked the efforts and services of Dr Seyyed Hamid Sajjadi, former Minister of Sports and Youth, during his tenure of this responsibility, and wished him good health and full recovery.