The 11-year-old Roma athlete Annamária Horváthová, who managed to win a running race without sports footwear and whose photo on the podium became a hit on social media, was congratulated by Slovak President Andrej Kiska during his visit to the town of Moldava nad Bodvou on Monday. "In Slovakia, the Roma minority makes up almost 10 percent of the total population, but it's as if some politicians were refusing to concede that they've failed to address the fundamental problems plaguing this community. Here, in Moldova, I must say that brute force will never resolve the basic problems that are the underlying causes of the Roma problem: low education, inadequate hygiene in Roma settlements and the unwillingness of many employers to hire Roma. The most important is the education of Roma and pre-school preparation of Roma children," said Kiska, pointing out the abysmal conditions in which children grow up in Roma settlements.
