UFIS Airport Solutions (UFIS-AS) is proud to announce the first gold medal of sailing athlete George Delikouras at Athens Eurolymp Week 2008.
Delikouras competed in the 2.4mR sailing class, introduced for the first time at the Eurolymp Week which is one of the preparatory regattas for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Delikouras already qualified for the Beijing Games through his 11th-position finish at the IFDS World races in Rochester, New York (USA).
At the Eurolymp Week, Delikouras competed against eight other sailors from Greece and Italy. The regatta was affected by extreme weather but they were able to complete nine out of ten races over a three-day period. In the overall rankings, Delikouras clearly finished first.
“Winning was not as easy as one might think by looking at the final results. On the first day I was second, one point behind Fabrizio Olmi. The second day I managed to be leading the ranking list, but still I had the same penalty points with the second. On the third day after the three bullets I heard a lot of congratulations. I owe a big part of my win to my coach and to all those who support my Paralympic campaign. I would like to thank them for the opportunity that they give me to compete.”
UFIS-AS announced earlier this year its sponsorship of Delikouras for the 2008 Paralympics. UFIS-AS joins Athens International Airport S.A., Media Communications S.A. 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 very proud of this first gold and we congratulate Mr. Delikouras on this huge achievement,” said Anders Sagadin, UFIS-AS’s President and CEO. “We are happy to be part of this success and we will gladly continue to support him. We hope this is just the first medal of many to come.”