Following 11 relaxing hours in First Class aboard an Olympic Airlines (what
else?) flight from Athens, and a connecting flight to O�Hare, the Official Mascots
of the ATHENS 2004 Olympics, Athena and Phevos, have arrived in Chicago. The
brother-sister pair immediately insisted on jumping into a cab and heading for
the Chicago Children�s Museum at Navy Pier, where they were met at the entrance
by the Children�s Museum�s Alexandra Parfilis and Keith McCormick. They will
be among the stars of a new exhibit on Greece and the Olympics at the Children�s
Museum, mounted by the Hellenic Museum and the World Council of Hellenes Abroad�s
N. & S. America Region. �Being kids, they couldn�t wait to see the Children�s
Museum, and Navy Pier. We tried to get them to check into their hotel first,
but they wouldn�t hear of it,� said Chris P. Tomaras, V.P. of the World Council
of Hellenes Abroad, the organization responsible for their visit to Chicago.
Responding to media questions, Tomaras laughed, saying that he could not identify
the downtown hotel where the Mascots would be staying while appearing at The
Children�s Museum.
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In addition to the exclusive appearance of the 2004 Mascots, The Children�s
Museum�s �Passport to Greece and The Olympics� exhibit will also feature one
of the actual Torches that relayed the 2004 Olympic Flame across the U.S. in
June�the only one on display in Chicago. The Torchbearer lending it for the
exhibit is Chicagoan Kostas Zografopoulos, who carried it as he propelled his
wheelchair through the streets of St. Louis on June 17. Kosta will appear at
the exhibit on the Museum�s �Free Family Night� at 5:30 � 8 p.m. on August 12,
the day before the Flame is ignited in the Athens Olympic Stadium, answering
questions and sharing his feelings about carrying the Olympic Flame, and on
the return of the Olympic Games to their birthplace: Greece. For further information
on the exhibit, call The Children�s Museum at (312) 527-1000.
About the Official
ATHENS 2004 Mascots: Phevos and Athena, brother and sister, are the official
ATHENS 2004 Mascots. Their creation was inspired by an ancient Greek doll, and�their
names are linked to ancient Greece, yet the two are children of our modern time.
They take their names from two Olympian gods: Phevos, the�Olympian god�of light
and music (also known as Apollo); and Athena, goddess of wisdom�and patroness
of the�city of Athens. Phevos and Athena represent the values of Olympism: participation,
brotherhood, equality, cooperation, fair-play. They remind us of the pleasure
of indulging in games; they highlight the value of participation as being greater
than that of victory. At the same time, they are brother and sister, a boy and
a girl, symbols of equality and brotherhood around the world. Above all, the
two children showcase the everlasting Greek value of human scale and remind
us that humanity was, is and will remain at the heart of the Olympic Games.
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