Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 04-08-18

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From: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.

CONTENTS

[01] GREECE RANKS 9TH BASED ON THE NUMBER OF OLYMPIC MEDALS

[02] THE IAAF WILL DECIDE IF THERE WILL BE PENALTIES

[03] THE OLYMPIC GAMES BACK TO THEIR BIRTHPLACE

[04] ROUSOPOULOS ON THE KENTERIS-THANOU CASE

[05] BEKATOROU-TSOULFA 1ST IN THE 8TH SAILING RACE

[06] LOSSES IN THE ASE

[07] MIKIS THEODORAKIS IN GOOD STATE AFTER SURGERY

[08] HUNDREDS OF CYPRIOT VOLUNTEERS IN ATHENS

[09] KENTERIS-THANOU STATED INNOCENT

[01] GREECE RANKS 9TH BASED ON THE NUMBER OF OLYMPIC MEDALS

Greece ranks 9th on the list of countries based on the number of medals it has already won in Athens' 28th Olympic Games. Yesterday, 18-year-old Greek judoka Ilias Iliadis won the gold in Judo (81 kg) after defeating Ukrainian Roman Gontyuk.

The Greek sports leadership has well-founded hopes that Greece will win more Olympic medals compared to the Olympic Games in Sydney.

The basketball game between the Olympic basketball teams of Greece and the United States broke many hearts as in spite of the super effort made by the Greek players the Greek team was unable to reach the much-desired victory and was defeated 77-71.

The effort made by Greek Tennis player Lena Daniilidou was very moving as she dominated over her Bulgarian opponent in spite of her injury.

The Greek volleyball team defeated the Polish team (3-1) and qualified for the next phase.

Also, the Greek Water Polo team was extraordinary and defeated Spain's powerful team with a score 8-5.

Greek swimmer Yiannis Kokkodis qualified for the 200 m individual medley semifinals.

[02] THE IAAF WILL DECIDE IF THERE WILL BE PENALTIES

The IAAF is called to decide on likely penalties to be imposed on Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou and their coach Christos Tzekos regarding the case concerning their refusal to undergo drug test based on charges made by the IOC.

The IOC Executive Board decided after the findings submitted by its Disciplinary Commission that there is no reason to reach a decision on their exclusion from the Olympic Games given the fact that all three of them handed over their accreditations today and announced that they will not participate in the games.

Kostas Kenteris announced the end of his cooperation with coach Christos Tzekos, while Katerina Thanou apologized to the Greek people because she cannot compete in the Olympic Games.

[03] THE OLYMPIC GAMES BACK TO THEIR BIRTHPLACE

Over 15,000 sports fans gathered at the Ancient Olympia Stadium at 8:30 am this morning to watch the men's and women's Shot Put qualifications.

The Shot Put event takes place in the stadium where the Olympic Games were held in ancient times in a way that matches ancient descriptions. This fact has caused strong international interest and major mass media are there to cover the event.

Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis, PASOK President Giorgos Papandreou and Coalition of the Left President Nikos Konstantopoulos will be at the stadium to watch the Shot Put final today.

Greek athletes in women's Shot Put, Kalliopi Ouzouni and Irini Terzoglou, did not qualify for the final.

[04] ROUSOPOULOS ON THE KENTERIS-THANOU CASE

The Olympic Games is nobody's personal affair, it is a global event that concerns Greece particularly not only as the birthplace of the Olympic Idea but also, because the Greek Olympic Team numbers over 400 athletes who deserve to be congratulated for their efforts and successes, stated Greek government spokesman Thodoris Rousopoulos when asked to comment on the Kenteris-Thanou case.

Responding to relevant questions, reiterated that the government will wait for the results of the prosecutor's investigation, adding that the prosecutor will decide if anybody should be indicted.

Mr. Rousopoulos also stated that the Greek government will fully respect the laws and regulations, pointing out that unanswered questions still remain. He also added that the government is determined to take measures aimed at reforming the sports sector to avoid facing in the future phenomena that raise suspicions regarding fair play.

[05] BEKATOROU-TSOULFA 1ST IN THE 8TH SAILING RACE

The Greek crew of Sophia Bekatorou and Emilia Tsoulfa is closer to the gold medal after finishing 1st in the 8th sailing race in women's 470 class (21 penalty points).

In the second place is the Slovenian crew (42 penalty points) and third is Spain's crew (46 penalty points).

[06] LOSSES IN THE ASE

Losses were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The general index dropped to -0.80% at 2255.69 points, while the volume of transactions was small at 79.1 million euros.

Of the stocks trading today, 58 had gains and 236 had losses, while the value of 109 stocks remained unchanged.

[07] MIKIS THEODORAKIS IN GOOD STATE AFTER SURGERY

World-famous Greek music composer Mikis Theodorakis was admitted in hospital last night and underwent gallbladder surgery at Evangelismos Hospital in Athens today. His condition is characterized as good.

He had been hospitalized again in Evangelismos Hospital on August 4-7 suffering from a gallbladder infection caused by a gallstone.

His doctors had ruled out then the likelihood of an operation and he was treated with drugs. However, the treatment was proved to be inadequate to deal effectively with the problem and the operation was deemed necessary.

[08] HUNDREDS OF CYPRIOT VOLUNTEERS IN ATHENS

The Cypriot Olympic Team athletes and their performance in the Athens Olympic Games monopolize the mass media interest in Cyprus but on the other hand, there are many other Cypriots who excel at the backstage of the Olympic Games contributing to their success.

Apart from the hundreds of the Cypriot volunteers who offer their services to Greece for free, there are 10 police officers with their police dogs assisting their Greek colleagues in the security efforts within the framework of the Olympic Games in Athens.

[09] KENTERIS-THANOU STATED INNOCENT

Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou announced that they will withdraw from the Olympic Games and handed over their accreditations. The two appeared before the IOC Disciplinary Commission to explain why they missed a drug test last Thursday. They stated that they had no information that they had been called for a drug test and left the Olympic Village to take some personal things from their homes.

The two athletes stated that they have not used any banned substances, while their coach Christos Tzekos maintained that it was a procedural issue.

Kostas Kenteris announced that he will interrupt his cooperation with Christos Tzekos, while the lawyer of the two athletes stated that the whole affair was a set up.

The Prime Minister is displeased with the way the case was handled and has ordered reforms in the sports sector.

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