Papaflessia
Encyclopedia
Papaflessia is an annual international athletics meeting that is held in Kalamata
, Greece
. The meeting falls within the European Athletic Association
's calendar of meeting. The event caters to both men and women and athletic events held at the meeting include sprints
, high jump
, long jump
, triple jump
and javelin
.
Papaflessia was named in honour of Papaflessas
, a Greek
priest and celebrated military leader who died at the Battle of Maniaki
during the Greek Revolution
. The meeting was inaugurated in 1954 and was held at the stadium of Messiniakos until 1968, when a military coup d'état ceased festivities. The athletics meeting was revived in 1984 and events held in the Kalamata Metropolitan Stadium
were mainly contested between local athletes. In 1994 the meeting expanded to include international athletes. Past participants include Olympic
gold medallists Stefka Kostadinova
and Yelena Yelesina
and English
sprinters Dwain Chambers
and John Regis
.
Kalamata
Kalamata is the second-largest city of the Peloponnese in southern Greece. The capital and chief port of the Messenia prefecture, it lies along the Nedon River at the head of the Messenian Gulf...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. The meeting falls within the European Athletic Association
European Athletic Association
The European Athletic Association is the European governing body for the sport of athletics.- History :In 1932, during a meeting of the International Amateur Athletic Federation in Los Angeles, a special committee was designated by the Council with the task of reviewing the conditions for the...
's calendar of meeting. The event caters to both men and women and athletic events held at the meeting include sprints
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
, high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
, long jump
Long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
, triple jump
Triple jump
The triple jump is a track and field sport, similar to the long jump, but involving a “hop, bound and jump” routine, whereby the competitor runs down the track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit.The triple jump has its origins in the Ancient Olympics and has been a...
and javelin
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
.
Papaflessia was named in honour of Papaflessas
Papaflessas
Papaflessas , born Grigorios Demetrios Flessas , was a Greek patriot, priest, and government official of the old Flessas Family. The word papa- in the name "Papaflessas" indicates his status as a cleric since the word means "priest" in Greek...
, a Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
priest and celebrated military leader who died at the Battle of Maniaki
Battle of Maniaki
The Battle of Maniaki was fought on June 1, 1825 in Maniaki, Greece between Egyptian forces led by Ibrahim Pasha and Greek forces led by Papaflessas.-Battle:...
during the Greek Revolution
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...
. The meeting was inaugurated in 1954 and was held at the stadium of Messiniakos until 1968, when a military coup d'état ceased festivities. The athletics meeting was revived in 1984 and events held in the Kalamata Metropolitan Stadium
Kalamata Metropolitan Stadium
Kalamata Metropolitan Stadium is a sports arena in Kalamata, Messinia, Greece.The stadium was completed in 1976, and currently has a seating capacity of 5,400 ....
were mainly contested between local athletes. In 1994 the meeting expanded to include international athletes. Past participants include Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold medallists Stefka Kostadinova
Stefka Kostadinova
Stefka Kostadinova is a Bulgarian retired athlete and the current women's world record holder in the high jump. She is the current president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee.-Career:...
and Yelena Yelesina
Yelena Yelesina
Yelena Borisovna Yelesina is a female high jumper from Russia. She won the gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics with 2,01m, one centimetre behind her personal best jump. She also has several minor medals from major championships.-Achievements:...
and English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
sprinters Dwain Chambers
Dwain Chambers
Dwain Anthony Chambers is an English sprinter of Afro-Caribbean descent. He has won medals on the international stage numerous times and is one of the fastest European sprinters in the history of recorded athletics. His primary event is the 100 metres sprint, in which he has the second...
and John Regis
John Regis (athlete)
John Paul Lyndon Regis, MBE is a retired English sprinter. During his career, he won gold medals in the 200 metres at the 1989 World Indoor Championships and the 1990 European Championships, and a silver medal in the distance at the 1993 World Championships.He was a member of the British teams...
.