Antenna News in English 020896

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

News in English, of 02/08/1996

TITLES

• Love of Greece inspires a young man to Olympic gold.
• The painful loss of Aliki Vouyouklaki.
• And, saving a stork.

MELISSANIDES

In the international spotlight after his dazzling performance, Melissanides told CNN it was thoughts of Greece that carried him to victory.

Iannis Melissanides won the hearts of the world in Atlanta. His gymnastics performance, wrote the New York Times, lent new grace to the sport.

The 19-year-old medical student used what all Olympic greats use to get to the top: perseverance and hard, relentless work. In the months leading up to the games, he lived in a gym, to save valuable time that would have been lost in commuting. Melissanides also had another source of strength: his patriotism. He told CNN it was easy to keep his nerve during his Olympic performance.

"When I competed", he explained, "I didn't see the other athletes. I closed my eyes before I started and told myself, 'You're not in Greece, you're in Athens. So you have to be perfect, for your country".

And he was nearly perfect, winning the gold with a 9.85 score. "I was a hundred per cent sure of the gold", he told CNN. "I was a hundred per cent sure I was going to hear our national anthem and see our flag flying at the top".

Melissanides also drew encouragement from the support of his family and friends. Their faith in his abilities gave him some of the right stuff needed to reach the summit. All those who stood by him, are in his heart.

What now for the young gymnast, whose been delighted by the waves of congratulations he's received from ordinary Greeks and Greek political leaders?

Melissanides says he's going to stick with medical school, and with gymnastics.

He hopes his medal will spur other young Greeks on to get involved in sports.

"The gold doesn't belong to me", says the young hero, "but to Greece, and my city, Thessaloniki, the capital of Macedonia".

So what now for the young gymnast, whose been delighted by the waves of congratulations he's received from ordinary Greeks and Greek political leaders?

Melissanides says he's going to stick with medical school, and with gymnastics.

Despite his outstanding performance, Melissanides remains a humble, sensitive boy, who loves his country.

VASDEKI

Olga Vasdeki finished a respectable sixth in the women's triple jump, with a 14.44 metre performance. In Olga's home town of Volos, her family is overjoyed. Her father, Apostolos, is proud of his daugher. Olga's brother Spyros is a long jumper. Apostolos says he wishes both his athletic children every success in the future.

Olga's mother, Maria, says she feels proud and emotionally overwhelmed. Olga's older brother Gerasimos says everyone's going to the airport to welcome their winner home.

OTHER ATHLETES

Thursday, Niki Bakoyianni will participate in the women's high jump, Niki Xanthou in the long jump preliminaries and Olympic hurdles gold medalist Voula Patoulidou in the long jump.

Greek basketball team will play against China this afternoon for the fifth position.

The same day, row, cycling, gymnastics and sailing Greek athletes, whose games were completed in Atlanta, came back home. With smiles on their faces, they expressed their satisfaction over their performance. Cyclist Dimitris Georgalis said

"I'm very happy, the sixth position was a very good score for me, taking into consideration the unfavorable weather conditions during the games".

Rower Vassilis Polymeros said "Being in the first twelve row teams in the world was a very good success", while cyclist Giorgos Chimonetos said "Taking into consideration the high level of the athletes in our sport in these games, the 13th position we got, was satisfactory".

TSOCHATZOPOULOS

Akis Tsochatzopoulos added that the hirings will come in local government this November.

The interior minister is also trying to satisfy government manpower needs through redeployment of staff. He said applications for transfers are being accepted. About 50 thousand transfers will be carried out all over Greece.

EVERT

Evert says the people are suffering under the weight of the economic crisis. Non-urban areas are being abandoned, he adds. Public administration is non- existent, and the government is doing nothing to solve the country's economic problems.

The government has expressed confidence that inflation will continue to fall this year. But Evert says it won't drop to 7.5 per cent. The government's public sector pay raise policy is geared to anticipated inflation. And Evert says higher-than-planned inflation will overturn Pasok's pay policy.

ALIKI

Family and friends of the late actress Aliki Vouyouklaki attended a memorial service at her graveside in Athens First Cemetery.

"My Aliki", were the only words her mother, Emy, could utter as she was supported by Aliki's former husband, Dimitris Papamichail and Aliki's brother, Antonis.

Aliki's son, Yiannis, and her partner till the end, Kostas spyropoulos, were also at the service, as was her brother Takis, and actresses Zoe Laskari and Nora Valsami.

Aliki's movies and, to a lesser extent, her theatrical performances, made her Greece's national star.

Scores of ordinary people, whose lives were enriched by Aliki, also went to the cemetery to pay tribute to the late star, to lay a flower on her grave. One woman said, "Aliki filled our homes with joy and happiness".

MILITARY SERVICE

As law, that bill would make it harder for young men to delay their obligatory military service, get more men into the service at the age of 18, and get those who have avoided the service for years, into uniform.

Young representatives of the country's political parties offered alternative proposals at a joint meeting. All the party youth except for Pasok say they would like to see young men entering the military at 18, rather than after they finish their university studies, as is currently the case. They say that will prevent military service from interrupting studies and career at a later date.

Pasok youth reps disagree. They say it is better for military service to come at a more mature age.

SUMMER EXODUS

The first two weeks of August are peak holiday-time in Greece. Athenians are heading out by land, sea and air. The biggest wave of holiday-makers was noted at the ports serving Athens and at the airport.

People in the tourist business will be glad to see every singal Athenian heading their way. Tourism has dropped at most places this year.

BASKETBALL

The Greek men put a halt to a series of forgettable performances, knocking of China Thursday.

Greece has no problem handling China, building up a comfortable margin early, and rolling to an easy victory.

Greece will finish fifth if it beats Croatia in its final Olympic contest. If it loses, it will finish in sixth place.

STORK

Police and firemen were called in to save a stork in the northern village of Perama.

The off-duty bird lost its balance while standing on an electricity pole, and fell off, taking the 15-metre plunge to mother earth.

Village residents handed the creature, lucky to be alive, over to the police. "Animals need protection just like we do", said one local.

The fire department then got involved, returning the bird to its nest with a crane.

Watching the operation, the village priest said people should love and protect birds.

© ANT1-Radio 1996

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