Gold Medalist From Greece Rips Government for Not Inviting Her to State Medal Ceremony

A Gold medal winning Air Pistol shooter from Greece lashed out at her government, claiming she wasn’t invited to a state ceremony honoring the Olympic team because she’s been openly critical of the government.

According to a report by Reuters, Air Pistol Gold medalist Anna Korakaki denied that the reason she missed the ceremony was due her ongoing vacation to France, that she was told the ceremony was planned in early September.

“The truth is I was never invited by anyone,” Korakaki said. She added, “The fact I’m on holiday is just a good excuse for those who decided I shouldn’t be there … because I believe they did not in fact forget but actually they chose this.”

Korakaki previously told the Greek news outlet Kathimerini that she thought the government’s embrace of her and other Greek medalists rang hollow given their lack of support for state athletic programs.

“The government must support athletes before we succeed on our own and win medals. We need infrastructure to succeed. When they all appear afterwards, it really doesn’t have meaning.”

Now, the Gold medal winner says her critique is being held against her.

“It’s like ‘Korakaki doesn’t exist, didn’t go to Rio and didn’t achieve anything, she’s just a ghost,’ ” the Olympian said.

In a statement, a spokesman for Greece’s Olympic committee denied Korakaki’s account.

“It’s not a case of the athlete not being invited. The decision by the government to hold the event came late yesterday afternoon and many other athletes could not attend.”

[image via screengrab]

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