By Maydaa Nadar
Greek sailor Adonis Bougiouris took first place at the Alexandria International Sailing Championship in the laser standard class that took place in Egypt in October, with France’s Karim Sofiane coming in second and Egypt’s Adham Fahmy finishing third.
Adonis started sailing on the picturesque island of Syros in 1989, where conditions were difficult, he said, because it wasn't a sport that many people were pursuing at the time he began. His first coaches taught him the basics and “Afterward I was lucky to travel to Athens where the good sailors are, so I learned from them,” he said.
After six years of training, he joined the Greek national sailing team where he stayed for 29 years and his presence is still ongoing. In 1999, he won his first World Championship in France and the Greek government offered for him to join the Coast Guard.
The Greek sailor’s achievements have since been many and he has managed to secure the first position in several World Championships, 25 National Championships, 6 times in the Balkan Championships, as well as winning the European Championship held in Spain, and in the World Cup celebrated in Melbourne, Australia.
Adonis participated in five Olympic Qualifying Events and he sailed in Sydney’s Summer 2000 Olympics. His upcoming plan is to compete in the World Cup to be held next April in Genova, Italy. Worth noting that the upcoming World Cup serves as a qualifier for Tokyo’s 2020 Summer Olympics.
Dakis sings where he was born
Shortly after Adonis lifted his trophy, the Alexandrian community enjoyed a performance by the remarkable Greek Egyptian singer known as Dakis at the theater of Sayed Darwish, one of the coastal city’s most appreciated cultural spots.
Dakis is the cousin of the famous Greek singer Demis Roussos and he was born in Alexandria, where he used to sing in a prestigious and cosmopolitan entertainment venue in the Al Shatby neighborhood.
“I left Alexandria in 1962 for Greece to start my singing career. In Athens, I was with my friends in a club and then I got on the stage and sang," says Dakis.
“Thereafter, the owner of the club asked me to work there as a singer. This was how the whole thing started.”
When he was asked about his cousin Demis Roussos, Dakis replied, “We were family and we were close in both personal and professional levels.”
