Organizers hails Athens Special Olympics` heritage to Greece, world

Source:Led b2b   Date:2011-7-25  close   Printing

By Maria Spiliopoulou

ATHENS, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Greece and the international community were left with a major heritage from the Athens 2011 World Summer Special Olympics, despite the difficulties the host country faces, Greek organizers said on Tuesday.

"For us the mission was accomplished. The most important sports and culture event of this year worldwide ended successfully on July 4 to the benefit of the world and debt-ridden Greece," said Athens Games Organizing Committee President Joanna Despotopoulou during a press conference held at Zappeion exhibition hall in central Athens.

Close to the Panathinaikon Stadium, the venue of the first Olympic Games and the Athens Special Olympics, organizers argued that the top aim of the ten-day tournament was fully achieved, pointing to the warm remarks of thousands athletes, families members, dignitaries, celebrities and spectators who attended the Games.

"Our main target was to raise public awareness in Greece and across the globe. After the Athens Games more people have learnt how it is to share the world of the winners with people of intellectual disabilities," stressed Despotopoulou.

"We owe this success to our over 25,000 volunteers who multiplied the advantage of the know how and infrastructures from the 2004 Athens Olympic Games," she added.

Approximately 7,500 athletes from over 180 countries and regions took part in the Athens Games, accompanied by 2,500 coaches and over 40,000 family members and friends.

Apart from showing to Greek society and the world what persons with mental disabilities are able to achieve if they will be given an opportunity, they offered Greece inspiration to counter any challenge and significant economic revenues, noted organizers.

The Greek state contributed to the total 69 million euro (96.5 million U.S. dollars) budget of the Athens Games by 40 percent and it was fully refunded, said Despotopoulou, replying to criticism by some local media regarding the 7.6 million euros (10.6 million U.S. dollars) spent on the opening and closing ceremonies.

"We owed it to athletes and their families to organize a special party for special people with no discounts in quality," she said.

She pointed out that at a period when the Greek tourism industry, a vital pillar in efforts to overcome an acute debt crisis, has been hit by images of violent clashes during anti-austerity protests in Athens, hotels, restaurants and shops across Greece which welcomed athletes and spectators before and after the Games, were given breathing space and better prospects for the future from positive media coverage.

The average time foreign visitors spend in Greece for instance increased dramatically this June and July thanks to the event.

"Chinese and Japanese spend two days on average in Greece during their holidays. This time the average stay in Greece reached up to 12 days," said Despotopoulou.

"People say that Greece is getting poor, but after the Games we are richer in our souls. Athletes returned home happily, with more confidence to stand on their feet and march ahead in life of their own," added Artemis Vassilikopoulou, co-head of the Greek Special Olympics athletes delegation.

Greek Special Olympics athletes Yannis Stratigopoulos and Constantinos Triantafyllou reiterated the participants` determination to continue the struggle for a better world that respects differences, as the one they witnessed during the Athens Games.

"In sports you need brains and faith. The international society needs us," said Triantafyllou, showing off with joy the three medals he won in bowling, while his mother expressed hope that in particular young people who reached the Athens venues or followed the Games in television, will help create this better world.

That is after all the main target of the Special Olympics movement which was founded in 1968 -- change lives through sport and promote acceptance for people with intellectual disabilities worldwide.