Fewer places for Greece’s weightlifters in 2004 Games
The decision by the International Wrestling Federation (IWF) to limit each country participating in the 2004 Olympics to six men and four women competitors was an unpleasant surprise to Greek athletes. «Six athletes are very few. It is unfair to the stronger countries. The top six countries ought to be able to field eight (men),» said Valerios Leonidis. Leonidis, known for his epic battle against Turkey’s Naim Suleymanoglu at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, has more reasons to fear than most. At 36, he is likely to be cut from Greece’s squad to make way for younger lifters. The IWF made this decision to give athletes from more countries the chance to compete in the Olympics. Thus, the first seven countries at the men’s world championships in 2003 will field six men; countries finishing in lower positions, down to 28th, will field from three to five. The top 10 countries at the women’s worlds will field four athletes at the Olympics. Countries finishing in positions 11-15 will field three and those in positions 16-18, two. An athlete not from the top countries can also participate if he or she ranks among the top 15 in his or her weight category. «It was a shock, however, we all understand it was done for the good of the sport. It certainly helps countries that do not have a long tradition, but poses a problem to the sport’s powerhouses. It is very difficult to choose which athlete to eliminate,» said the national team coach, Christos Iakovou. «The new system is a more just approach in allocating slots, since more countries can compete within the limits imposed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC),» said Yiannis Sgouros, president of Greece’s weightlifting federation and IWF general secretary. The IOC, concerned with keeping a cap on the number of athletes allowed to compete, has limited the number of weightlifters allowed to take part in the Olympics to 170 men and 90 women.
