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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-08-04
CONTENTS
[01] The passion for the Olympic Games in a collection
[02] 54 refugees arrived on the Greek islands in the last 24h
[01] The passion for the Olympic Games in a collection
The passion for the Olympic Games to some people is not exhausted
merely in the excitement the sports induce to the people. To them, it is
the spirit and the wholesome halo of the endeavour of the competition
both in body and spirit, the general ambience and what remains of it,
which inspires the passion for the multitude of the moments and the
singular items, the stuff that makes the dream of the Olympics to stay
in our memory.
For that reason, these passionate persons, who do not regard the Games
piecemeal and like to recollect the history, are prone to collect
anything that has to do with all the editions of the Olympiads, not
just the present, both in forms of the official memorabilia and the
personal effects of the athletes as well as the general literature
that envelops the events. Stylianos family belongs to that particular
genre of 'hidalgos' who turned their vivid interest in the Olympic Games
into a lifelong family pursue for passion and inspiration. Dedicated to
their cause for many years, they have managed to build up an impressive
collection of more than 6,700 items, some of them unique in their kind,
since the first Olympics Games in Athens in 1896. The first catalogue of
the events, Olympic medals of these Games, photos and literature. And not
just that: their collection goes even earlier, to the preparations of the
Olympic movement and to the personal history of its leading figures. Also,
the often ignored Mid-Olympiade, has its own place in this collection.
"The philosophy behind the creation of this collection is to preserve
the historic prestige of fair competition through the athletes' efforts
and to shed light on little-known personal details / aspects of the
participants in this global event that unites the nations of the world",
underline the collectors on the essence of their initiative "which has
direct educational effect on the younger generations and preserves the
memories of those who experienced – either as athletes or as fans –
specific highlights of the games." The most salient exhibits of this
collection are the torches of the Olympic flame since the beginning
of the ceremony in 1936 and what goes with it: the uniforms of the
bearers, the photos of the ceremony and the relevant literature. Even the
dresses of the priestesses, or the ceremonial urn of the 2004 Olympics
which marked the return of the Games to their homeland, are part of
Stylianos collection. Another significant part of the collection are
the imposing singular items of the Berlin Olympics: one of the first
torches in the history and the authentic carriers uniform, the impressive
posters of the Nazist propaganda for the Games, the very same measuring
tape that marked the historic record of Jesse Owens in the long jump--
one of this legend's four victories that forced Adolf Hitler to abandon
the stadium in order to avoid giving him the gold medal and honour a
coloured athlete. A Jesse Owens handwritten dedication can be seen on his
photograph included in the Stylianos collection. But even more impressive
is the unique film Leni Riffenstal, the famous director and photographer,
the avant-guard artist and one of the spearheads of Hitler's propaganda,
had prepared for the 1936 Olympics and is considered as one of the gems
of the collection. But of equal importance are also some other items
of the collection. For example, 110 m hurdles winner Colin Jackson's
training suit, or the superathlete of our times Usain Bolt's shoes (both
of them with a dedication by his own hand) are among the more important
exhibits. Numerous other autographs from epic athletes, who excelled
both in Summer and Winter Olympics and wrote the History of the Games.
Also the Greeks and their achievements in the Olympic athletic field
occupy a significant part of the collection.
"I spent a lifetime and, I admit it, much of my family's money to make
my dream true and fulfil my passion", stated to AMNA the collector,
proud of the volume and the significance of his achievement. "It's like
another child to me", he added. Nevertheless, the efforts to maintain the
precious, but vulnerable to time and the atmospheric conditions, pieces
of his collection in good situation must be constant and endless and the
cost insurmountable. The specific attention and the money an individual
collector has to spend to safeguard this important part of the universal
history is huge and overimposing to the limited budget of a person, who
is not endowed with the fortune of a magnate. The complete coverage of
the time period from the Olympiads (1859-1889) to the present day, the
complete collection of (45) authentic torches with torchbearers' outfits,
the priestess' outfit as worn at the Olympic Flame Lighting Ceremony in
the 1950's, the original ceramic bowl/"urn" used in the lighting ceremony
with which the High Priestess gave the Light during the opening ceremony
in Olympia are part of the more than 6,700 memorabilia. Also unpublished
photos, official reports, diplomas, audiovisual materials, documents and
more than 700 authentic autographs, a complete set of mascots, banners
and pins. Regretfully, this precious collection remains unknown to
the public and within the limited grounds of the private premises of
its owner, lacking an appropriate and more accessible space for the
'aficionados' of the Olympic Games to enjoy the history and to admire
these unique items. Until then, AMNA's website is always available....
[02] 54 refugees arrived on the Greek islands in the last 24h
57,025 identified refugees and migrants were on the Greek territory on
Thursday while 54 new arrivals were reported in the last 24 hours.
According to the Refugee Crisis Management Coordination Body's figures,
22,090 of the refugees are in northern Greece, 10,121 are hosted in
the region of Attica and 2,606 are hosted in facilities of central
and southern Greece. 7,497 refugees and migrants are hosted in several
facilities rented by the UNHCR, 2,849 in non-organised facilities 2,200
persons are living outside organised facilities.
9,662 refugees and migrants were recorded on the eastern Aegean islands.
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