Members of the Greek Olympic delegation who had not yet returned from Paris, France arrived in Athens, Greece on Monday, August 12.
Among them were Miltiadis Tentoglou, the gold medalist in long jump; Emmanouil Karalis, the bronze medalist in pole vault; and Dauren Kurugliev, the bronze medalist in freestyle wrestling. Also returning were Rio de Janeiro gold medalist Katerina Stefanidi, Antigoni Drisbioti, Elina Tzengko, Stamatis Skarvelis, Ariadne Adamopoulou, the national men’s and women’s water polo teams, the artistic swimming duet, and their coaches George Pomaski, Haris Karalis, Mitchell Krier, and George Botskriov.
In a statement prior to the athletes’ arrival, Greece’s Deputy Minister of Sports Yiannis Vroutsis emphasised that the Olympians and the National Delegation members deserved a different kind of welcome, but “the critical situation with the fires naturally does not allow it.”
“We sincerely thank them for the joy and optimism they brought us with their achievements. We honour them all and stand by them, but our thoughts and concerns are now with the fire fronts and all those currently battling the inferno,” Minister Vroutsis said.
“The large fire in northeastern Attica has put the entire state apparatus and all of us on alert. The Ministry of Sports, together with the Region of Attica, has opened the doors of OAKA, welcoming our fellow citizens affected by the fires.”
Tentoglou also voiced his concern about the situation in Attica, expressing his support for those facing the difficult ordeal.
Karalis said: “We are definitely very happy to have returned, the entire national team. We are safe, but as we were approaching and looking out the airplane windows, the view outside was darkening from the clouds and there was a certain… silence as we descended. We hope everything will be okay. We are all quite saddened by what is happening in the country. We hope these fires will finally be extinguished so we can resume our lives.”
Sofia Sakorafa, President of the Hellenic Athletics Association (SEGAS), commented, “We cannot rejoice when such events are happening around us, affecting our fellow citizens. Our hearts and souls are with them as properties are being destroyed at this moment.” She added that these athletes, through their successes, offer a small note of comfort during these challenging times.
In a moment of celebration, friends and fellow athletes lifted Dauren Kurugliev at Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” to welcome him. However, a scheduled press conference on Monday for the Olympic team’s return from Paris was canceled due to the devastating fires impacting large parts of Attica and other regions of Greece.
Source: AMNA.gr.
