UFIS Airport Solutions (UFIS-AS) is proud to announce the next medal, this time bronze, of sailing athlete George Delikouras at the first Italian Open Regatta for the Paralympic 2.4mR class, held 1-4 May. This is the second medal for Delikouras following the gold one won at the Athens Eurolymp Week in February. Both regattas are part of the preparation of Delikouras for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. UFIS-AS is one of Delikouras’ sponsors.
At the open regatta in Livorno, held by the Assonautica Yacht Club, disabled along with able-bodied sailors were competing on equal terms as it is in all 2.4mR races in Italy. On the first day of the regatta, Delikouras was in second place scoring a 2nd and a 3rd place behind last year’s winner Fabio Vingundini. On the second day, Delikouras scored a 2nd, a 3rd and a 7th place, leaving him in second place in the overall ranking. During the third and last day of the regatta Delikouras scored one 7th and one 3rd places that gave him the bronze medal ranking third after Vingundini and Olmi.
“I need to improve my performance until the Paralympics,” Delikouras said after the regatta. “Together with my coach, we have managed to reach a high level in competitive sailing up to now, but what we need is the continuity in good performances and not the fireworks.
“For the third place what can I say? Some consider it a success and others a failure. When we are in a position to consider a bronze medal in an open international regatta as a failure, this means that we are at a very high level of competition in comparison with past years. On the other hand, Livorno cannot be compared with the Paralympics. In China it will be really difficult for me. I want to thank all the ones who have given me the opportunity to reach this point and those who support my Paralympic campaign towards Beijing.”
UFIS-AS announced earlier this year its sponsorship of Delikouras for the 2008 Paralympics. UFIS-AS joins Athens International Airport S.A., Media Communications and Aegean Airlines in sponsoring Delikouras’ preparation. The Paralympics – Olympic-style games for athletes with a disability is an elite sporting event for athletes from six different disability groups. The Paralympic Games, this year 6-17 September, follow the Olympics and use the same venues.
“We are proud of the next medal and we congratulate Mr. Delikouras on this success,” said Anders Sagadin, UFIS-AS’s President and CEO. “We are happy to be part of this achievement and we wish him good luck for the next regattas.”