Greek politician and former javelin thrower, Sofia Sakorafa, has been appointed to head the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS), becoming the first woman to take on the role.
SEGAS, Greece’s oldest sports federation, was founded in 1897 to represent all sports, before they split off to form federations of their own, and currently focuses on track and field sports.
"I want to thank from the bottom of my heart all those who participated in this exemplary democratic process, for the honour they did me to be elected President of the largest sports federation, SEGAS," she said following the online vote.
"It is time that we must work together for sports, to highlight its glamour. To support with all our strength the clubs, the sports and our athletes to conquer the highest podiums," she added.
Sofia Sakorafa
Sakorafa was born in 1957 in Trikala and has held multiple records and awards in national and international javelin events.
In 1982 she achieved a world record, throwing the javelin 74.20m, a record she maintained to 1983.
She holds 17 national records, improving her previous records by over 30m. In international meets, she gained bronze in the European games of Athens (1982), gold in the Split games (1979) and bronze in the Latakia games (1987).
She graduated from the then-National Academy of Physical Training in Thessaloniki and after leaving the sports arena became a politician.
Sakorafa was elected in Parliament for the first time with PASOK in Athens (2007) and was expelled by the party in 2010 after refusing to vote for the first bailout. She has served as MP and MEP with Syriza, and as of 2019, serves as MP of MeRA25.
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