NICOSIA, 31 May 2008 - We are down to one
year from the XIII GSSE CYPRUS 2009. One year from now,
on 1 June 2009, the Opening Ceremony of the Games will
set the tone for the five following competition days for
the 12 sports included in the programme. CYPRUS 2009 is
considered to be the greatest challenge in 20 years for
sporting Cyprus.
The last such challenge was in 1989, when Cyprus hosted
the III GSSE - a competition that even today remains a
point of reference in the Olympic Movement and the
international sporting community.
On the occasion
of the one year countdown to CYPRUS 2009,
the president of the Cyprus Olympic Committee issued the
following statement:
"In 365 days, from 1 until 6 June
2009, we are called upon to organise the best GSSE
ever. Our first care is a flawless organisation with
the conscious involvement of all Cypriots and
especially the youth of our country. At the same
time we hope to upgrade the Games to a level never
witnessed before. Our level of preparation for
CYPRUS 2009 is already high, but an even greater
effort in all fields will be necessary in the
remaining 365 days. We enjoy the support of the
Government of Cyprus and all the sports
organisations of the country, we already have in
place the bulk of the excellent facilities that will
host the competition, we are ready to offer the
highest level of services to all our guests, and we
shall strive to promote the GSSE to Cyprus and the
whole of the world.
It is indicative of the importance of
the XIII GSSE that the President of the
International Olympic Committee, Jaques Rogge,
the President of the European Olympic Committees,
Patrick Hickey, the President of the International
Mediterranean Games Committee,
Amar Addadi, and the
President of the Organising Committee of the 2012
Olympic Games, Sebastian Coe, have all accepted our
invitations and will honour us with their presence
in June 2009.
On 13 and 14 June
2008 we will be hosting in Cyprus the conferences of
the Executive and Technical Committees of the XIII
GSSE. The delegates will be able to tour the venues
and will also be briefed on the planned television
production and broadcasting rights for foreign
media.
But the soul of any
great competition is its volunteers. We will shortly
embark on a Volunteer Programme, through which we
will seek the support and active participation of
all those who wish to follow this great challenge
for sports and for our country. We are positive that
the response will be so great that it will satisfy
all our needs.
We also have an
aspiration that CYPRUS 2009 will prove a great
success for our athletes. In cooperation with the
Cyprus Sports Organisation we are already
implementing a special plan for the XIII GSSE.
As of September 2008 we will begin the specialised
preparation for all sports. The first place in the
medals table is our primary goal and we will try our
best to achieve this."
Officials of the Organising
Committee of CYPRUS 2009 met with the directors of the
sports on Thursday 29 May, to discuss matters of
technical regulations, sports equipment and the needs of
each sport in volunteers. Taking part in the meetings
were the Executive Dierector of CYPRUS 2009, Alekos
Spanos, the Administrative Director, Andreas Stavrou,
the Deputy Director Olga Piperidou, and the Director of
Sports and Venues, General Director of the Cyprus Sports
Organisation, Costas Papacostas.
