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Martin Harris

British Ambassador to Ukraine

Part of Stay Ahead of the Games UK in Romania

3rd September 2012

Golden Edi!

Last weekend was a great weekend for Romania at the London 2012 velodrome. Many congratulations to Eduard Novak for first beating the world record in the qualifiers for the Men’s Individual C4 Pursuit, and then going on to win Romania’s first ever Paralympics Gold Medal in the final.

Edi Novak meets His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales
Edi Novak meets His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales

Eduard is an amazing athlete, making his name first in speed skating and then switching to cycling after a road accident in 1996. I’ve had the privilege to meet him several times in the run-up to the games, and to introduce him to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales at our Diamond Jubilee celebrations earlier this summer. I am delighted that he has achieved his dream of winning gold in London, and I hope that where Edi has led many more will follow.

Eduard Novak, Gold medal in the London 2012 Paralympic Games

His achievement is also thanks to the hard work of many dedicated people in the Romanian Paralympic Movement who have put Romania on the highest spot on the podium at these games. Bravo tuturor!

6 comments on “Golden Edi!

  1. Congrats Eduard, congrats Romania! Going to the Paralympics tonight and cannot wait to wear the Romanian colours!

  2. A fantastic achievement. What a pity that no Romanian TV station appears to be showing the Paralympics, so local viewers could not see this historic event live.

    1. Dear Debbie,

      You can watch the Games live on london2012.com/paralympics and that is also where you’ll be able to find out the latest news about results and competitions.

      1. Dear Martin,

        Thank you (rather belatedly) for your reply. Yes, I understand it was also possible to watch it on the Channel 4 website (though I tried that in vain). However, with only a quarter of local households having broadband, this still means the majority of Romanians weren’t able to watch it. I hope the success of this year’s Paralympics will persuade more broadcasters to show it in 2016.

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About Martin Harris

I took up my role as His Majesty’s Ambassador to Ukraine in September 2023. Previously, I was Minister and Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Moscow, Ambassador…

I took up my role as His Majesty’s Ambassador to Ukraine in September 2023. Previously, I was Minister and Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Moscow, Ambassador at the British Embassy in Bucharest and served at the UK Delegation to the OSCE in Vienna.