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Greeks aim for record haul at Athens
With the national football team pulling off a stunning Euro 2004 triumph and with their sportsmen bringing in 70 medals in various world and European championships in 2003, hopes are high of a record Olympics medal haul.
When Athens hosted the first modern Olympics in 1896, they won 10 out of the 43 first place medals.
But with their national football team pulling off a stunning Euro 2004 triumph in July and with their sportsmen bringing in 70 medals in various world and European championships in 2003, hopes are high of a record Olympics medal haul.
In realistic terms, however, Greek officials would be happy if they could muster another record 13 medals as they did in Sydney four years ago when they picked up four gold, six silver and three bronze.
This time round, they are fielding a 500-strong squad with defending 200m champion Costas Kenteris hotly tipped to become the first man ever to defend a title over the distance while women's 100m specialist Katerina Thanolooks to build upon a silver in Sydney.
"We are going for at least three medals and for our athletes to participate in 10 to 15 finals, twice as many as in Sydney," predicted athletics coach Odysseas Papatolis.
The Greek athletics association (SEGAS) has spent 1.8 million euros on preparing the team but president of the organisation Vasilis Sevastis has admitted that many athletes are having to use their own money to train.
He promised that when the financial circumstances of SEGAS improve they will all be reimbursed.
"We have no money to pay them now as we had in other years," Sevastis admitted.
Undersecretary of Sports Giorgos Orfanos promised SEGAS will get state funds to help pay back athletes.
Other medal hopes are javelin thrower Mirella Maniati who won silver in Sydney and discus thrower Tasoula Kelesidou, also a silver medallist four years ago.
"It's the greatest moment for an athlete to participate in the Olympics. Getting a medal is outstanding because you have the chance to fight for it only once every four years," said Maniati.
Weightlifters Pyrros Dimas and Kahis Kakiasvilis will be seeking their unprecedented fourth straight gold while, in the women's event, Ioanna Hatziioannou, a bronze medallist in Sydney, is expected to feature again.
In taekwondo, Michalis Mouroutsos looks for a second successive gold as is Areti Athanassopoulou in the women's draw after her gold medal in the world championship.
In gymnastics, high bar specialist Vlasis Maras won a gold in the 2001 world championships while Dimosthenis Tambakos won silver medal in the rings in Sydney.
Amiran Karntanov will be out to improve on his wrestling bronze from Sydney while 2002 world champion Sofia Poubouridou will be tough to beat.
In table tennis, Greece has a world class player in Kallinikos Kreangas who won silver in the European Championships two years ago while, in cycling, Kleanthis Barkas, Dimitris Georgalis and Lambros Vasilopoulos teamed up to take fourth place in the Sydney Olympics sprint race and are hoping to do even better in front of their home crowd.
The 470 sailing gold could end up in the hands of Emilia Tsoulfa and Sofia Bekatoros, the world and European champions.
Nikos Kaklamanakis, a gold medal winner in windsurfing in Atlanta in 1996, is still a threat while Elena Daniilidou hopes home support might inspire her to a medal in women's tennis.
The most experienced team in the Olympics for the Greeks will be the men's water polo squad who will be participating in their 12th Olympics.
Their best finish was sixth in Atlanta Olympics while, this year, the Greeks took third place in the World League and finished fourth last year in the World Championships.
In football, the Greek men's soccer team will be fielding a team for the first time since 1920 but with their Euro 2004 title-winners having stunned the world, they will be hoping to do just the same on home soil.
