President of Greece Encourages Greek Athletes in Universiade Village
Today, July 2nd, the Athletes’ Village of the 25th Summer Universiade in Belgrade was visited by a Very VIP Guest. Indeed, the President of Greece, Mr. Karolos Papoulias, was welcomed at the entrance of the International zone of the Village by FISU President George Killian and his wife Mrs. Killian, President of the UB2009 Executive Committee Nebojsa Ilic and Mayor of the Athletes’ Village Ranko Tepavcevic.
The Greek President was taken on a small tour through the Village which ended by meeting the Greek delegation which presented him with a volleyball and basketball signed by the teams.
Nikolaos Vasileiou, the Chef de Mission of the Greek delegation was very pleased with the visit of his President. ‘It is a great honor and a wonderful opportunity for University Sport in Greece. It’s the first time the President visits us at a Universiade. In name of the Greek delegation, I thank President Killian and the Belgrade Organising Committee for the hospitality.
Table Tennis player Spyridon Kioufis was quite impressed meeting the President of his Country. ‘He wished me good luck with the competitions’, the athlete told FISU Media. ‘I’m very proud, I shook his hand.’
‘It shows that FISU commands respect and it’s an extreme honor to have any President come to the Athletes’ Village of the Universiade to greet the athletes of his country’, FISU President commented. ‘It reflects how important student-sport is for Greece, but also for us.’
‘It is a great honor not only for the Universiade but also for the country of Serbia’, Village Mayor Ranko Tepavcevic said when the Greek President had left the Village. ‘We are very proud that a country’s President arrived in the Village to visit his delegation. It is a great moment for the athletes in supporting them and inspiring and motivating them at the beginning of the competitions. As you know Serbia and Greece are very close so we are very proud that President Papoulias came to visit us’, the Village Mayor added.
More info on the Belgrade Universiade at www.fisu.net and www.ub2009.org
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
FISU stands for Federation Internationale du Sport Universitaire (International University Sports Federation), founded in 1949. FISU's main responsibility is the supervision of both Summer and Winter Universiades as well as the World University Championships. The Universiade is an international sporting and cultural festival which is staged every two years in a different city and which is second in importance only to the Olympic Games.
The Summer Universiade consists of 12 compulsory sports (Athletics - Basketball - Fencing - Football – Artistic & Rhythmic Gymnastics - Swimming - Diving - Water Polo – Tennis – Table Tennis - Judo - Volleyball) and up to three optional sports chosen by the host country. The record figures are 9,006 participants in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2007 and 174 countries in Daegu, Korea in 2003.
The Winter Universiade consists of 7 compulsory sports (Alpine Skiing - Nordic Skiing composed of Ski Jump, Cross Country & Combined - Biathlon - Ice Hockey - Short-Track Speed Skating - Figure Skating - Curling) and one or two optional sports also chosen by the host country. The Winter Universiade gathered a record 2,511 participants in Torino in 2007 and a record number of 50 countries in Innsbruck, Austria in 2005.
The World University Championships are organized every even year in sports which do not figure on the compulsory Universiade program. In 2008, 29 different WUC were staged all over the world.
For more info or pictures, do not hesitate to contact FISU Media department at media@fisu.net or surf to www.fisu.net.
The Greek President was taken on a small tour through the Village which ended by meeting the Greek delegation which presented him with a volleyball and basketball signed by the teams.
Nikolaos Vasileiou, the Chef de Mission of the Greek delegation was very pleased with the visit of his President. ‘It is a great honor and a wonderful opportunity for University Sport in Greece. It’s the first time the President visits us at a Universiade. In name of the Greek delegation, I thank President Killian and the Belgrade Organising Committee for the hospitality.
Table Tennis player Spyridon Kioufis was quite impressed meeting the President of his Country. ‘He wished me good luck with the competitions’, the athlete told FISU Media. ‘I’m very proud, I shook his hand.’
‘It shows that FISU commands respect and it’s an extreme honor to have any President come to the Athletes’ Village of the Universiade to greet the athletes of his country’, FISU President commented. ‘It reflects how important student-sport is for Greece, but also for us.’
‘It is a great honor not only for the Universiade but also for the country of Serbia’, Village Mayor Ranko Tepavcevic said when the Greek President had left the Village. ‘We are very proud that a country’s President arrived in the Village to visit his delegation. It is a great moment for the athletes in supporting them and inspiring and motivating them at the beginning of the competitions. As you know Serbia and Greece are very close so we are very proud that President Papoulias came to visit us’, the Village Mayor added.
More info on the Belgrade Universiade at www.fisu.net and www.ub2009.org
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
FISU stands for Federation Internationale du Sport Universitaire (International University Sports Federation), founded in 1949. FISU's main responsibility is the supervision of both Summer and Winter Universiades as well as the World University Championships. The Universiade is an international sporting and cultural festival which is staged every two years in a different city and which is second in importance only to the Olympic Games.
The Summer Universiade consists of 12 compulsory sports (Athletics - Basketball - Fencing - Football – Artistic & Rhythmic Gymnastics - Swimming - Diving - Water Polo – Tennis – Table Tennis - Judo - Volleyball) and up to three optional sports chosen by the host country. The record figures are 9,006 participants in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2007 and 174 countries in Daegu, Korea in 2003.
The Winter Universiade consists of 7 compulsory sports (Alpine Skiing - Nordic Skiing composed of Ski Jump, Cross Country & Combined - Biathlon - Ice Hockey - Short-Track Speed Skating - Figure Skating - Curling) and one or two optional sports also chosen by the host country. The Winter Universiade gathered a record 2,511 participants in Torino in 2007 and a record number of 50 countries in Innsbruck, Austria in 2005.
The World University Championships are organized every even year in sports which do not figure on the compulsory Universiade program. In 2008, 29 different WUC were staged all over the world.
For more info or pictures, do not hesitate to contact FISU Media department at media@fisu.net or surf to www.fisu.net.