Romanian businessman Ion Țiriac was awarded last week the Order of Merit of Hungary, one of the highest awards the state has. The order was handed to Țiriac by Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén in the Hungarian Parliament.
“Ion Țiriac was born on Brassó/Brașov and he is a world-renowned tennis player who also speaks good Hungarian. He was awarded the medal for his contribution to Hungarian tennis in general and fostering new generations of players,” Semjén wrote on his Facebook page.
Țiriac (79), with an estimated wealth of $1.2 billion is the only Romanian in the Forbes ranking of the world’s richest people. He owns a minority stake in Romanian insurance company Allianz-Tiriac, one of the biggest local insurers, but he has also invested in real estate, auto dealerships, and petroleum distribution. He also owns the Madrid Open tennis tournament and is well known for his passion for rare and expensive cars.
He was accompanied to the Budapest ceremony by his former doubles partner Ilie “Nasty” Năstase and former Romanian Olympic champion gymnast Nadia Comăneci.
Images: Zsolt Semjén, Facebook
