Ilias Iliadis is a Georgian

Georgian people

The Georgians are an ethnic group that have originated in Georgia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, European Union, United States, and South America....

-born Greek judo

Judo

is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...

ka who has been competing for Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 since the start of his international career.

He won a gold medal in the half-middleweight (81 kg) division at the 2004 Summer Olympics

2004 Summer Olympics

The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...

 in Athens

Athens

Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

 at age 17. Illiadis also won a gold medal 6 years later at the 2010 World Championship
in Tokyo in the -90kg category.

As Greece's flagbearer, he had the honour of being the first athlete to march into the Bird's Nest Stadium during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics

2008 Summer Olympics

The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...

 in Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

.

Iliadis is a cousin of another Olympic champion, Georgian judoka Zurab Zviadauri

Zurab Zviadauri

Zurab Zviadauri is a Georgian judoka who competed in the Men's 90 kg at the 2004 Summer Olympics and won the gold medal. He is a scholarship holder with the Olympic Solidarity program...

. Iliadis's family moved to Greece in the 90's.

Achievements

Year	Tournament	Venue	Place	Weight class
2004	Olympic Games Judo at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's 81 kg These are the results of the Men's 81 kg competition in judo at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. A total number of 32 men competed in this event, limited to jūdōka whose body weight was less than 81 kilograms...	Athens, Greece	1st	Half middleweight (81 kg)
	European Judo Championships 2004 European Judo Championships The 2004 European Judo Championships were the 15th edition of the European Judo Championships, and were held in Bucharest, Romania from 14 May to 16 May 2004.-Men:-Women:- Medals table :-60 kg:-66 kg:-73 kg:-81 kg:-90 kg:-100 kg:...	Bucharest, Romania	1st	Half middleweight (81 kg)
2005	World Judo Championships 2005 World Judo Championships The 2005 World Judo Championships were the 24th edition of the Judo World Championships, and were held in Cairo, Egypt from September 8 to September 11, 2005...	Cairo, Egypt	2nd	Middleweight (90 kg)
	Mediterranean Games Judo at the 2005 Mediterranean Games The Judo Competition at the 2005 Mediterranean Games was held in the Rafael Florido Sports Hall in Almería, Spain from 28 June to 1 July 2005.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:-References:*...	Almeria, Spain	1st	Middleweight (90 kg)
2007	World Judo Championships 2007 World Judo Championships The 2007 World Judo Championships are the 25th edition of the Judo World Championships, and were held at the Rio Olympic Arena, usually called Arena Multiuso, that was built for the 2007 Pan-American Games, in Jacarepaguá, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from September 13 to September 16, 2007.The...	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	2nd	Middleweight (90 kg)
2010	World Judo Championships 2010 World Judo Championships The 2010 World Judo Championships were held at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan from 9 to 13 September.-Schedule:- Men's events :- Women's events :-Medal table:- External links :*...	Tokyo, Japan	1st	Middleweight (90 kg)
2011	European Judo Championships 2011 European Judo Championships The 2011 European Judo Championships are the 22nd edition of the European Judo Championships, organised by the European Judo Union, and are being held at the Abdi İpekçi Arena in Istanbul, Turkey, from April 21 to April 24, 2011.- Men :- Women :...	Istanbul, Turkey	1st	Middleweight (90 kg)
	World Judo Championships 2011 World Judo Championships The 2011 World Judo Championships was held at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris, France from 23 to 28 August.-Schedule:- Men's events :- Women's events :-Medal table:-Participating nations:871 competitors from 132 nations compete....	Paris, France	1st	Middleweight (90 kg)