In his speech – released by the Presidency of the Republic –, the head of State said that the handover of the flag symbolized the handover of "an entire nation".
"I would like to say that, by handing the Angolan Olympic delegation that will participate in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the national flag, we are handing you an entire nation", he said.
"You are carrying Angola with you, the national flag, which symbolizes our country. Therefore, it is Angola. And, for this reason, we want you to do everything to represent our country, Angola, in fact, as best as possible, something that you have been done over the years in the various international competitions in which they participated", added the President.
On the occasion, João Lourenço also congratulated "all those who contributed to removing the constraint that existed" for the country's participation in these Olympic Games.
"We are all to be congratulated on the fact that we managed to remove that embarrassment, which allowed our country to be represented at this great celebration of international sport in Paris [approval of an anti-doping law]," he said.
Noting that the Olympic and Paralympic games have been held with "the regularity that the calendars have established", the head of state took the opportunity to highlight "the importance" of the Paris 2024 Olympic competition, due to the fact that it takes place "at a time when the world is going through a very difficult time, with the proliferation of armed conflicts of different intensities that, in some way, question and endanger peace and universal security".
"If, on the one hand, some wage war, you, by participating in these 2024 Paris Games, are wanting to convey a message against war, a message of peace, because sport promotes friendship and harmony between peoples and nations", he highlighted, adding that athletes "are not only the ambassadors of sport, but above all, and in this troubled moment in which the world is living, they are the ambassadors of peace and harmony between peoples and nations".
Finally, João Lourenço ended by wishing everyone "great success" and seeking to "win as many medals as possible".
"By doing this, they will not only be enriching their CV, their achievements as sportsmen, but they will also be enhancing the good name of our country: Angola", he added.
