European Weightlifting Championships 2003
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A personified, smiling drop of water lifts weights along with the top lifters of Europe in the European Championships in Loutraki. He is the mascot of the event, named Nerocles–his name deriving from “nero”, the Greek word for water, combined with the mythical ancient Greek hero Heracles, famous for his power. Water is the symbol of the host city of Loutraki. Nerocles appears in blue, the colours of the Greek sea and sky, wears blue shoes and lifts a barbell of yellow and red with one hand. His greatest ambition is to be loved by athletes and audience alike and to transfer to all weightlifting fans the ideal of fair play and the joy of competing.
The creator of Nerocles is Hristos Zoidis, who works in the Greek sports newspaper “GoalNews”.