The women's Olympic medallists were honoured by the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee (LNOC) in the presence of Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda and First Lady Diana Nausediene. 

The athletes were: basketball player Angele Rupsiene, swimmer Lina Kaciusyte, cross-country skier Vida Venciene, cyclist Laima Zilporyte, rowers Kristina Poplavskaya, Birute Sakickiene and Milda Valciukaite, athlete Austra Skujyte and shooter Daina Gudzineviciute. 

During the event, President Nauseda thanked the Olympic community for recognising these remarkable women who have made Lithuania proud in the history of world sport. "Dear athletes, with your victories, you have immortalised the strength of women, power and talent. Thank you for strengthening our society and the state with your personal power," said First Lady Diana Nausediene.

Lithuania's Olympic debut was in Paris in 1924, coinciding with this year's centenary celebrations, also in Paris. Since then, 24 Lithuanian athletes have won Olympic medals. 

"Women are strong, ambitious and inspiring in sport, and this year there will be as many female athletes as there will be men at the Paris Olympics. Gender equality and encouraging women to strive not only for results in sport but also for top positions in sports organisations is one of the strategic goals of the Olympic Movement, which we are pursuing in a targeted way," commented Daina Gudzineviciute, Olympic champion and President of the LNOC. 

The achievements of the Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian athletes have been immortalised in the book "Baltic Women on the Olympic Games Awards Podium". Each medallist received a personalised copy of the book, together with a special medal commemorating the centenary of the LNOC. 

"In this book, the three Baltic states are together again. Side by side. Demonstrating unprecedented power, expressed through their glorious victories and their spiritual strength," concluded First Lady Diana Nausediene.