Do you know a Hellene whose dedication to Hellenism and inspirational acts merit recognition by Greece?  

Nominations open for annual οΏ½Ambassadors of HellenismοΏ½ awards thru December 31; CEREMONIES in Athens on March 6

Five years ago, the Prefecture of Athens began recognizing exemplary individuals and groups who have distinguished themselves through their work and contribution to Greek Studies, or through representing Greece abroad, as οΏ½Ambassadors of Hellenism.οΏ½   Since 1999, the Prefecture has recognized 21 such οΏ½AmbassadorsοΏ½ from all over the world and Greece, ranging from businesspeople to academics, sports figures, teams, composers, and teachers.  The award ceremonies are normally attended by the President of GreeceοΏ½s Parliament as well as representatives of GreeceοΏ½s political parties, the Church, the Athens Academy and the armed forces.  In March 2002 these οΏ½Ambassadors of HellenismοΏ½ formed a network in order to coordinate their efforts, and elected world-record ultra-marathon runner Yannis Kouros as General Secretary of their new οΏ½International Network of οΏ½Ambassadors of Hellenism.οΏ½οΏ½

οΏ½οΏ½οΏ½ V.P. and Regional Coordinator for N. & S. America Chris P. Tomaras is encouraging our omogenia to participate in this yearοΏ½s awards by nominating οΏ½the special people they know of who have had a positive impact on the image of Greece, and their fellow Hellenes, in our Hemisphere.οΏ½  According to the press release issued by Athens Prefect Ioannis Sgouros, nominations must (1) be made by someone other than the nominee, (2) be in writing and in Greek only, (3) provide the reasons the nominee deserves recognition as an οΏ½Ambassador of HellenismοΏ½ (4) include the nomineeοΏ½s complete biographical information and (5) complete contact information for the submitter.  Nominations (in Greek only) must be received by the Prefecture of Athens on or before December 31, 2004 and can be submitted as follows:

By FAX at: +30-210-6984182 or +30-210-6984071 (24 hrs/day)
By E-mail at: [email protected]
By Hand or Postal Mail at:                                                        

PREFECTURE OF ATHENS                                                                                                                                                          Culture Department
Cosmos Building, 4th Floor, Rm. 403
Leoforos Kiffisias 125-127,Athens, Greece 115 24   

Good luck to all this yearοΏ½s Nominees!

For nearly 20 years, Yannis Kouros has been at the top of the extreme sport of ultra-marathon running.  For the last 20 years, Kouros has remained the world champion, having won 152 world titles.  He holds world records for 12-, 24- and 48-hrs runs, as well as six-day- and 1,000-mile-races.   In 2000, writer, poet and painter Kouros was selected as an οΏ½Ambassador of HellenismοΏ½ and then as General Secretary of that group in 2002, not only for his athletic records, but for his cultural activities as well.  Kouros has characterized ultra-running as a struggle against both nature and human endurance, which takes on an almost metaphysical character.   When he is exhausted, he keeps on by drawing inspiration from his childhood, a musical motif by Hadjidakis or by thinking of himself as the continuation of the heroes of the 1821 revolution against Ottoman rule or of ancient times, like the runner Phidippidis.
Yannis Kouros became well-known from the Spartathlon run in 1983, one of the first races organized on the original route run by Phidippidis from Marathon to Athens.  The Spartathlon is a historic ultra-distance foot race that takes place in September of every year in Greece.