Cyprus` team at this year`s Olympic Games, in Rio, has achieved the best results ever since Cypriot athletes have been competing in the Games, according to the President of the Cyprus Olympic Committee Dinos Michaelides.
Speaking at a press conference in Nicosia to sum up the performance of Cypriot athletes at the 31st Olympic Games, Michaelides said the successful presence of Cypriot athletes was almost exclusively the result of the efforts of the athletes themselves and their coaches.
Six of the fifteen Cypriot athletes who took part in the Rio Olympics and were present at the press conference, spoke of the their difficult and arduous task, asking for state support so that they can continue to have a leading role and promote their country internationally.
Pavlos Kontides, the Cypriot sailor who won the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the Men`s Laser class, explained how he allocated funds from a sponsorship awarded to him for charity to six sports fields. Three of them went to athletes who managed to qualify for the Rio Olympics, namely Apostolos Parellis, Milan Trajkovic and Leodia Kallenou.
Kontides pointed out that sport is the best ambassador of Cyprus and that the competent bodies have to pay attention to it.
“The talent is there but talent alone cannot get you anywhere. There should be a proper team around athletes, hard work, perseverance, patience, and then the results will come,” he said.
The 8th Olympic champion in Discus and Chairman of the Athletes Committee, Apostolos Parellis, said that the competent bodies should stand by the athletes and help their job placement, so as to allow them to work even harder and offer to their country.
Milan Trajkovic, who represented Cyprus in the 110m hurdles finals taking 7th place, said that not many people expected him to go to Rio and perhaps to some extent this was a surprise for him too. He thanked all those who supported him.
He noted that Kontides` scholarship gave him the necessary impetus. He added that when he met Kontides in Limassol, he thanked him personally, and then the sailor said: “you will go with me (to the Olympics)”.
“I said hopefully and finally we went together to Rio,” he recalled.
Racing cyclist Andri Christoforou referred to her own experience, while the experienced windsurfer Andreas Cariolou with a presence in four Olympics, said that when one loves so much what one does, you set goals and move on. Gymnast Marios Georgiou promised to achieve better ranking in the next Olympic Games.
The President of COC Dinos Michaelides told the press conference that the presence of Cyprus in Rio was a complete success, adding that it should be regarded as the best presence in Olympic Games so far. “And I say `to date` because the prospects for progress in Cyprus sport are bigger, more hopeful and promising,” he said. He noted, however, that in order to reach one`s objectives, many things need to be done, and not necessarily by the athletes, but by stakeholders, institutional bodies and all those who are really interested.
The Head of the Mission in Rio Olga Piperidou said that this time Cyprus may have not won an Olympic medal, but six of the fifteen athletes, a 40% percentage, were in the finals and four of them were declared Olympic champions.
As she said Cyprus, with 7 athletes in track and field, managed to enter in four finals, and three of them were crowned Olympic champions. Milan Trajkovic was 7th in the 110 meters hurdles, Kyriakos Ioannou 7th in high jump and Apostolos Parellis eighth in discus. The second Cypriot to the final high jump Dimitrios Chondrokoukis was in the 12th place. Ramona Papaioannou, at 200 meters, achieved a personal record and was the only athlete who qualified in two competitions.
Piperidou also referred to the 7th position Kontides got in Men`s Laser class, who proved, as she said, once again that he is among the world`s elite. She noted also the achievement of artistic gymnast Marios Georgiou who got to the finals.
CNA/TKE/TNE/MM/2016
