According To Sylvia » Olympic Games 2012

House of Hellenes at the London Olympic Games

admin — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 10:59:24 +0000

The House of Hellenes is a private initiative led by the British Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, the International Olympic Truce Centre and the Alliance for Greece and is located at the Carlton Club on St James’s Street.

During the Olympic Games, the House of Hellenes will be open from 28th July to 3rd August and it will host a number of cultural events, finance forums, technological seminars and talks. After that it will remain at the disposition of the Hellenic Olympic Committee and the National Olympic Team for press conferences to celebrate any upcoming Olympic victories in London 2012. The Greek colours will keep flying on the House of Hellenes until the end of the London Games.

What I did this week: queens and boats

admin — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 07:41:19 +0000

Joined a million other people by the Thames to catch a glimpse of Queenie
Reminded myself why I don’t like central London on a weekend
Partied like the English at a street party
Watched the diamond jubilee concert while cringing at Grace Jones (hoola hoop? seriously?), Cheryl and JLS
Felt proud to be a Greek when I saw the national football team at the Euro facing Poland and then not so proud when I saw a member of the Greek far-right party Golden Dawn slapping an MP of communist party KKE on live TV
Interviewed Marcus Markou about his new film Papadopoulos & Sons (interview to follow next week)
Said goodbye and au revoir to people I love

Olympic flame relay

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:40:16 +0000

Once again the eyes of the world were focused on Greece yesterday. But this time it was for a good reason as the Olympic flame was handed over to the London Olympic Committee at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. The grey skies over the stadium resembled the gloomy atmosphere in the country but in the end the rainbow came out. With the elections looming the Greek people needed something to be proud of again.

And sport has always united Greeks: from the 1987 European Basketball Championship to Olympic wins in Atlanta, Sydney and Athens to the Euro 2004 win.

Despite the crisis and the political uncertainty the people of Athens went to the stadium to say farewell to the flame, the symbol of the Olympic Games, that travelled to London on a special British Airways flight in a gold-painted plane.

And there to receive the flame were London mayor Boris Johnson (thank God he didn’t drop the flame or stumble), Lord Sebastian Coe, David Beckham (after meeting up with Barack Obama in the US this week) and Princess Anne.

The flame has now reached the British shores and it will continue its journey for 70 days around the country until it reaches its final destination the Olympic Stadium in Stratford where the games will begin on July 27.