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Greece scores a record during this year’s Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver – for the first time in the history of the games father and daughter will take part… We are talking about Thanasis and Panagiota Tsakiris who will compete in the discipline biathlon. Besides a competitor and father of the young athlete since the 21^st Winter Olympic Games, the 45 years old Thanasis Tsakiris is also the standard-bearer of the Greek Olympic delegation. Until now Tsakiris has taken part 4 times in Olympic Games – in Calgary in 1988, in Albertville in 1992, in Lillehammer in 1994 and in Nagano in 1998. Panagiota has taken part in the games in Turin and her participation in Vancouver will start from the very first day of the Games – Saturday, 13.02 with a 7,5 km sprint (biathlon). Thanasis will start on Sunday with a 10 km sprint (biathlon). Here is the program for the rest of the 5 members of the Greek delegation: on Monday (15.20) will compete Maria Danou at the discipline 10km cross country skiing, the same day at 15km cross country skiing will compete Lefteris Fafalis. On Tuesday in the 12,5 km biathlon will take part Thanasis Tsakiris and on Wednesday Lefteris Fafalis will take part in the classic style cross country skiing. On Thursday Panagiota and Thanasis Tsakiris will take part in the biathlon. On Sunday Vassilis Dimitriadis and Stephanos Tsimikalis will take part in the giant slalom for men and on Wednesday Sophia Ralli in the giant slalom for women. On Friday Sophia Ralli will take part in the women’s slalom and on Saturday Vassilis Dimitriadis and Stephanos Tsimikalis in the men’s slalom.

The goal of the Greek competitors is to qualify among the top 30, in the games in which about 100 competitors will take part. The mission of the Greek delegation is also the fight for clean sport (in the spirit of the last Winter Olympic Games in Turin 2006 when was scored a record in the anti doping control – more than 1219 control tests were made).

For the first time Greece takes part in Winter Olympic Games in 1936 when hosts of the event was Germany. Since 1936 until present it has always be represented by a delegation of athletes (an exception are the Olympic Games in the USA in 1960, when a clerk from the embassy discomfits the plans of the Greek athletes).

Picture: sport24.gr