President Awards State Honours to 22 Figures

Bratislava, 10 January (TASR) - President Peter Pellegrini honoured 22 figures of social, cultural as well as sporting life, including four posthumously, at a ceremony that took place at the Slovak Philharmonic building in Bratislava on Saturday evening. The head of state awarded the Order of Ludovit Stur, First Class in memoriam to footballer and coach Jozef Venglos for his outstanding contribution to the development of Slovakia in sport, as well as for promoting Slovakia's good name abroad. Partisan commander Jan Repta was also awarded the Order of Ludovit Stur, First Class in memoriam for his outstanding contributions to the defence and security of the Slovak Republic. Surgeon Peter Kothaj was awarded the Order of Ludovit Stur, First Class in memoriam for his extraordinary contributions to the development of Slovakia in the field of science and technology, particularly in the field of surgery. The head of state also awarded the Order of Ludovit Stur, First Class in memoriam to former education minister, MP, archaeologist and historian Dusan Caplovic for his extraordinary contributions to Slovakia's development in science and technology, as well as education. Pellegrini also awarded the Order of Ludovit Stur, First Class to anti-communist resistance fighter Ladislav Lampert, figure skater Jozef Sabovcik, economist Ivan Sramko, doctor and dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Comenius University in Bratislava Juraj Payer, dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University in Kosice Jozef Zivcak, and a participant in the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) and former chairwoman of a Slovak women's club called Zivena, Zora Breierova. The state decoration of the Order of Ludovit Stur, Second Class was conferred on gallery expert and director of the Danubiana Museum Vincent Polakovic, ballet master and teacher Roman Lazik, car designer Branislav Mauks, scientist Jan Tkac, and survivor of four concentration camps Kornelia Wirtschafterova. The Order of Ludovit Stur, Third Class was awarded to physician and writer Eva Umlauf, and SNP participant Daniel Lehotsky. Pellegrini awarded the Pribina Cross, First Class to scientist and educator Denisa Nikodemova. The Pribina Cross, Second Class was awarded to publisher Maria Rehakova, and choreographer and educator Emil Tomas Bartko. Elena Zimova, who is behind charitable activities, deserved the Pribina Cross, Third Class. The president also awarded the Order of the White Double Cross, Third Class to Pavel Babka, the founder and director of the Babka Gallery in Kovacica, Serbia. am