Athens, Greece (23 April) — This website had 11,151 unique users and 29,170 user sessions during the 2003 European Weightlifting Championships. The total number of hits was 3,278,339 and the total number of page views was 326,125. Check out more statistics about visitors to this website on our new website stats page.
 WEBSITE STATISTICS
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Vice-Minister of Culture, Giorgos Lianis with Yannis Sgouros at the European Championships in Loutraki. (Click on photo for higher resolution)
Photo: Studio Kominis.
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Athens, Greece (21 April) — Minister of Culture Evangelos Venizelos and Vice-Minister Giorgos Lianis, hosted Greece’s medalists of the 2003 European Weightlifting Championships, Monday at the Ministry. The competition concluded Sunday evening in the spa resort of Loutraki, 80 kilometres of Athens, with Greece winning three gold, one silver and three bronze medals –all in the women’s categories. Mr. Venizelos and Mr. Lianis presented Greece’s medalists, Anastasia Tsakiri, Charikleia Kastritsi and Vassiliki Kassapi with special awards for their successes.
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Mayor Pavlos Pavlou and HWF President Yannis Sgouros unveil the sculpture of Pavlos Kougioumtzis at the Club Hotel Loutraki, during the Closing Ceremony. (Click on photo for higher resolution)
Photo: Studio Kominis.
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LOUTRAKI, Greece (21 April) — The 2003 European Weightlifting Championships concluded, Sunday evening, with a closing ceremony and reception, hosted by the Club Hotel Loutraki, in this spa resort, 80 kilometres west of Athens. “The top-level and highly successful organisation of the event, combined with the Europe-wide TV coverage of the Championships, contribute to promote the organisational capabilities of sports in Greece and of the country in general,” said Yannis Sgouros, president of the Hellenic Weightlifting Federation and Prefect of Athens, at the close of the games. “This was a very strong test for our Federation, as we prepare for the 2004 Olympic Games and we are now ready to enter the final stretch. The European Weightlifting Federation (EWF) is credited with yet another successful competition in both organisation and hospitality”.
 Meanwhile, a surprise was in store for the Hellenic Weightlifting Federation, when the Club Hotel Loutraki presented Yannis Sgouros with a sculpture of the mythical Atlas lifting the earth above his head. The sculpure was specially commissioned by the Club Hotel Loutraki and designed by sculptor Pavlos Kougioumtzis, and is destined for the “House of Weightlifting” in the Piraeus suburb of Nikaia, where Greek weightlifting will find its permanent home.
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LOUTRAKI, Greece (20 April) — Bulgaria won 12 gold, 15 silver and 5 bronze medals and topped the medals standings at the conclusion of the 2003 European Weightlifting Championships, here in this spa resort, 80 kilometres from Athens. Turkey was second in the medals table, with 12 gold, 7 silver and 5 bronze medals, followed by Russia, which won 11 gold, 7 silver and 8 bronze medals.
FINAL MEDALS TABLE
LOUTRAKI, Greece (20 April) — Russia collected a total of 553 points and topped the men’s final classification of the 2003 European Weightlifting Championships, here at this spa resort, 80 kilometres west of Athens. Bulgaria followed in second place with 544 points and Turkey was third with 537 points. A total of 21 countries appear in the women’s final classification.
MEN’S FINAL CLASSIFICATION
LOUTRAKI, Greece (20 April) — One hundred and fifty-two journalists were accredited to cover the 2003 European Weightlifting Championships, which concluded Sunday evening in this spa resort, 80 kilometres west of Athens, according to a report issued by the competition Press Office. Other numbers: A total of 99.277 tons were lifted throughout the six-day event (71.240 tons in the men’s categories and 28.037 tons in the women’s categories). Access the full press report from our Press Releases section.
PRESS
LOUTRAKI, Greece (20 April) — Evgeny Chigichev of Russia lifted 447.5 kg. (207.5 kg. in the snatch and 240.0 kg. in the clean & jerk) to become the “strongest man in Europe”, as he won the gold medal of the men’s +105 kg. category, on the closing day of the 2003 European Weightlifting Championships, here in this spa resort, 80 kilometres west of Athens. Chigichev clinched the title before his final attempt at 250.0 kg. in the clean & jerk, from which he resigned. Second was Armenia’s Ashot Danielyan, who also lifted 447.5 kg. (205.0 kg. in the snatch and 242.5 kg. in the clean & jerk), but weighed heavier than Chigichev. Third overall was Bulgaria’s Damyan Damyanov, who lifted 442.5 kg. (202.5 kg. plus 240.0 kg.).
Evgeny Chigichev was born on 28 May 1979 and was the 2001 European Champion. He was fifth in the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
MEN’S +105 kg.
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| Representation of a junior athlete lifting two rough stones. (Martin von Wagner Museum, Würzburg). |
The gold medal of the 2003 European Weightlifting Championships, in Loutraki. |
LOUTRAKI, Greece (20 April) — The front side of the medals presented to athletes at the 2003 European Weightlifting Championships is based on an ancient Greek representation of a junior athlete lifting two uncut stones (one in each hand), that is now to be found in the Martin von Wagner Museum, in Würzburg. Although weightlifting was not a part of the ancient Olympic Games, it did appear on the programmes of internal Games of Greek cities, the Perichoroi. A rock dubbed Vyvon’s Rock, weighing 143.5 kg. and dating from the 6th Century bc, has been found at Pelopion, in Elis, near Olympia, the site of the Ancient Olympic Games. An inscription on this rock includes the phrase “Vyvon lifted me over his head with one hand”. Another rock, bearing an inscription according to which it was lifted by Eumastas a few centimetres off the ground, was found on the island of Thera (modern-day Santorini). Click on the images above to view in higher resolution.
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LOUTRAKI, Greece (20 April) — Igor Razoryonov of the Ukraine lifted 425.0 kg. (192.5 kg. in the snatch and 232.5 kg. in the clean & jerk) to earn the continental title in the men’s 105 kg. of the 2003 European Weightlifting Championships, which concludes tonight in this spa resort, 80 kilometres west of Athens. Alan Tsagaev of Bulgaria was second with a total of 420.0 kg. (185.0 kg. plus 235.0 kg.) and Vladimir Smorchkov of Russia was third with a total of 415.0 kg. (195.0 kg. plus 220.0 kg.). Three unsuccessful attempts were made at a new European record in the clean & jerk, by Turkey’s Bunyami Sudas at 235.5 kg., by Poland’s Szymon Kolecki at 237.5 kg. and by Razoryonov also at 237.5 kg.
Thirty-three-year-old Razoryonov was the 1995 and 1998 World Champion and a bronze medalist in the 1994 European Championships.
MEN’S 105 kg.
LOUTRAKI, Greece (19 April) — Turkey amassed 521 points and topped the women’s final classification of the 2003 European Weightlifting Championships, here at this spa resort, 80 kilometres west of Athens. Russia followed in second place with 501 points and Bulgaria was third with 441 points. A total of 21 countries appear in the women’s final classification.
WOMEN’S FINAL CLASSIFICATION
LOUTRAKI, Greece (19 April) — Three new photo galleries are available now on this website. Apart from our regular photo & video gallery, which features action pictures from the 2003 European Weightlifting Championships here in this spa resort, 80 kilometres west of Athens, check out our Expressions & Emotions gallery, our Shots gallery and our Info Services gallery.
EXPRESSIONS & EMOTIONS
SHOTS
INFO SERVICES
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