Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo awarded Ukrainian athletes the Grand Vermeil Medal – the French capital’s highest distinction – as a move of solidarity during the 2024 Olympics.
“I can imagine today both your sadness and your pride,” Hidalgo said during the ceremony in Paris' City Hall on Thursday. “The sadness of knowing that your country is still being attacked and is at war, that many of your friends, your relatives are on the front lines and fighting.”
