In preparation for this year’s European Youth and U15 Championships, scheduled for June 15–23 2024, the General Secretary of the Hellenic Weightlifting Federation, the triple Olympic champion Pyrros Dimas and the Organization Director, Iris Vlachoutsicos welcomed the EWF President, Antonio Conflitti and EWF General Secretary, Milan Mihajlovic for a technical visit to Thessaloniki, Greece, on March 14, 2024.
An important meeting took place at the Municipality of Thessaloniki, hosted by the Mayor Stelios Aggeloudis, and Deputy Mayor in charge for Sport and Culture, Koula Giannakidou. During this official visit, full support was pledged for the weightlifting event.
Mayor Aggeloudis remarked “Knowing Pyrros Dimas for a long time, his contributions to weightlifting have not only marked history in Greece but throughout the world. Greek weightlifters have a strong connection to the sport in general and they have always demonstrated the ability to achieve impressive performances. This year, with Thessaloniki being declared the European City of Sports, is committed to making this competition memorable“; said Mayor Aggeloudis.
Following this meeting, the delegation went to the Region of Central Macedonia’s headquarters and met with the Deputy Governor for sport and culture, Christos Mittas. He emphasized the region’s dedication and support for the Organizing Committee, including the provision of volunteers and calling on spectators to attend this important event.
The delegation then visited the official participants’ hotel and the competition venue. The Capsis Hotel, chosen for the athletes, meets all the criteria for hosting participants in the European Championships. Competitions and training sessions are set to be held at the “Palais des Sports,” where the delegation was welcomed by George Violistis, President of Thessaloniki Sports Complexes and Vice President Giorgos Babaratzas. The arena is fully equipped to host major events, having previously been the venue for weightlifting international competitions, e.g. the successful edition of the 2001 IWF Junior World Championships.
“The Hellenic Weightlifting Federation honors the appointment of Thessaloniki as the European City of Sports for 2024 where they will organize the European Youth and U15 Championships. We are pleased to welcome the EWF President Antonio Conflitti and General Secretary Milan Mihajlovic and would like to thank them for their support and the approval of our organizational plan”, said Pyrros Dimas.
EWF is grateful to the Hellenic Weightlifting Federation and Pyrros Dimas, whose popularity is evident everywhere. We’re all expecting a spectacular event ahead of us.
“With great pleasure, EWF has announced its return to Greece, the birthplace of the Olympic movement, for the 2024 European Championships. Since Greece has not longer hosted European championships for 21 years, this event is particularly noteworthy. The EWF is excited to commemorate this historic comeback and highlights the strong historical and cultural connections that our sport has with the original Olympic goals”, the EWF President Antonio Conflitti stated.
