Antenna News in English 310796

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From: Antenna Radio <http://www.antenna.gr> - email: antenna@compulink.gr

News in English, of 31/07/1996

TITLES

• Greece's golden boy wins international acclaim.

FOREIGN PRESS ON MELISSANIDES

That's how New York Times journalist Christopher Clarie reported Melissanides's Olympic gold medal in gymnastics.

The 19-year-old wonder, who is also a medical student, dazzled the world with his inspired floor exercises in Atlanta Sunday night.

In his article, Clarie draws out the significance of the triumph for Greece and for the world.

"Melissanides is the first Greek athlete to win an olympic gold in gymnastics in 100 years. The golden child of gymnastics has also managed to open up new horizons in men's gymnastics, lending the sport the grace and expression it was missing".

New York Times published a detailed account of the young Greek athlete's career, lavishing praise on his talent. Melissanides said after his victory that he imagined during his performance that the Atlanta Olympics were being held in Greece. The New York Times said it certainly looked like he was performing at home.

KAKLAMANAKIS

Nikos Kaklamanakis rode the wind and the waves to Olympic gold in Savanna Georgia. For several days, the world's finest wind-surfers competed. After it was all over, Greece had its second-ever Olympic gold medal in a sailing event - the last came in 1960.

Twenty-seven year-old Kaklamanakis needed not just talent, but persistent hard work to make it to the top.

"I feel very happy", said the Greek champion after it was all over, "I don't know what to say, it hasn't sunk in yet. We had a tough time here, every day under the sun, but I kept my cool, I got a sense of calm from the people who believed in me, and they were numerous. I thank them all and I dedicate my medal to them".

Two of the people who believed, and gave the young hero strength, were his parents, who watched the event from a boat.

The pace is tough...day after day of races. From the second race on, Kaklamanakis felt the sweet loneliness that comes with being ahead of the pack. He finished first in the second, fifth, seventh and eigth races.

From the second race on, he felt the sweet loneliness of the first position. He finished first in the second, fifth, seventh and eighth races. In race one he was fifth; in the third, he came in second. He finished sixth in the fourth race, ninth in the sixth, and didn't participate in the ninth race.

The wind-surfing competition is a gruelling contest of endurance. After the second race, Kaklamanakis had such bad pains in his hands, that he had to have acupuncture before he could go on.

ARCHBISHOP

Archbishop of Italy Spyridon is the new archbishop of America. Spyridon, who replaces retiring archibishop Iakovos, was elected unanimously to the post by the ecumenical patriarchate's holy synod Tuesday.

The new archbishop of America comes from the island of Rhodes, studied theology and the Theological School of Chalki.

Since 1984 he has been based in Rome, where he serfved as secretary of the ecumenical patrarchate's delegation in the Theological

Dialogue between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. In 1985 he was elected metropolitan bishop of Italy.

Iakovos's resignation as archbishop of America took effect Monday. He had held the post for 37 years.

MILITARY SERVICE

The government is introducing a host of legal changes that will make it harder for young men to delay their military service.

Defence minister Gerasimos Arsenis's idea is to get young Greeks into the military at the age of 19, and in some cases, at the age of 18.

To encourage people to get their obligatory military service out of the way early, the government says it will also offer incentives - though it hasn't specified yet what those incentives will be. The carrot most likely to be used is a reduction in service time for those who join up as soon as they turn 19, and forego their right to put it off - as in the case of young men attending university.

The right to deferment of military service is going to be restricted too, to the length of time needed for university studies plus one year.

Once they're in the army, young recruits are going to find it harder to get off base. The government's bill calls for drastic cuts in furlough.

The government is going to make things easier for those with extra burdens. People with heavy family responsibilities will serve shorter terms, if the bill becomes law. People with three children will not have to serve at all. Men who are poor will get to serve shorter terms.

There's something in the bill for concientious objectors too. They'll be allowed to serve in areas that do not require them to bear arms. Arsenis says that to qualify for that, a recruitment age youth will have to convince a special committee that he has a serious personal objection to bearing arms.

Conscientious objectors will have to serve longer than other recruits. Someone who would have to serve 18 months normally, will do 27 months as a conscientious objector.

The bill also aims to put the past in order. 9,040 men born between 1947 and 1966 who have avoided their military service, will be called on to serve a portion of their terms, and buy the remainder off at a price of 700 dollars a month.

As for the 8,500 men born after 1966 who should've done their military service by now but haven't,

Arsenis says they can see their recruitment officer about doing a full term of service, without fear of punishment, as long as the join up by 1998, and in some cases, by the year 2000.

Arsenis says that for the time being, the government is not thinking about increasing the length of the mandatory term of service.

EVERT

Evert met with New Democracy MPs taking part in the summer session of parliament.

Evert said the government has been unproductive, at best.

He slammed Pasok's handling of Turkey, saying it has retreated before Turkey's aggressive propaganda campaign over the Aegean. Pasok's failure to stand firm has allowed Turkey to claim there are "grey zones" in the Aegean, of disputable sovereignty. And it has allowed Fyrom to remain unbending over the name issue. Fyrom is trying to use the Greek name of "Macedonia", but Greece objects.

Things are no better on the home front, said Evert. The economy's in bad shape because the government is trying to combat inflations by re- valuing the drachma.

Evert added, that agriculture and education have been damaged by the government's inability to put European Union funds to good use.

OLYMPIC ROUND-UP

So far, Greece has won 4 gold, and 3 silver medals, and is in twelfth place in the medal rankings overall.

It all started on the second day of the games, with weight-lifter Leonidas Sabanis winning the silver in the 59-kilo category. It was a sign of good things to come from Greece's weight-lifting "Dream Team".

Pyrros Dimas and Kaki Kakiashvillis won weight-lifting golds with world records, and Valerios Leonides would pick up a silver in weight-lifting.

Yiannis Melissanides, gave Greece its third gold medal, this time in gymnastics. And Nikos Kaklamanakis picked up gold number four, in wind-surfing.

There was one disappointment on Tuesday. Greece's men's basketball team lost its shot at a medal, losing to Lithuania in the quarter-finals. That game ends quickly. Lithuania leads 45-19 at the half, and coasts to a 99-66 victory.

CD-ROM

The Olympic Games are available to computer and Olympic buffs all over the world.

Greece hasn't missed out on the opportunity to market its own products.

Greece's Olympic achievements go beyond the gym's where the competitions are held.

"Spirit and Body, The Revival of the Olympic Games", is the title of the CD-ROM disc that Greece has marketed. It was inspired by the late Melina Mercouri, the famous actress who also served as culture minister. MUVIREX company representative

Yiannis Kombopoulos explains:

"With the guidance of the man who kept the idea alive, Spyros Merouris, we created this multi-media disc, which tracks the development of the Olympic Games from ancient times until the most recent ones four years ago in Barcelona. We hope to be adding this year's Olympics to it".

Greece, the home of the Olympic Games, is using the electronic age to honour Olympic history, from the ancient past to the present.

On a digital video, programme users can look at snap-shots from all of the Olympics that have been held up to now. The programme also includes information on how the Olympic idea was born in Greece. Users can even visit a virtual museum containing exhibits from the ancient Olympics.

FOUNDATION

The "Vassilis Papanikolas Foundation" is trying to change that. It recently took joy and financial help to elderly people living in remote mountain villages.

At an event held at the primary school in Piana, Arkadia, the foundation members offered a caring and loving hand to those often forgotten by society.

Foundation president Vassilis Papanikolas said, "In this day and age, we can't watch as one man prospers and another suffers. Everyone should do what they can to help other people".

The charity event brought the elderly into contact with the young, as hard-working school pupils were given awards for their efforts.

© ANT1-Radio 1996

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