Sofia Sakorafa
Encyclopedia
Sofia Sakorafa is a former javelin throw
er from Greece
. She was born in Trikala
.
She broke the world record on 1982-09-16 with a throw of 74.20 metres. That mark stood as a Greek record until the new javelin was introduced in 1999.
Sakorafa started competing in athletics at age fifteen as a member of Trikala Gymnastic Club. In total, Sakorafa – often pushed by her antagonism with Anna Verouli
– broke the Greek record for the javelin seventeen times. She competed in the 1976 and 1980 Summer Olympics
.
Sakorafa is currently a physical education teacher. Besides athletics, she is also a political activist and has espoused several causes in her lifetime including world peace, women's rights, and Palestinian rights.
Sakorafa has served on the City Councils of Athens
and Maroussi. She also nearly won a seat in the Hellenic Parliament under the banner of PASOK
.
Sakorafa stirred controversy in 2004 when she became a Palestinian
citizen and applied at the last minute for a berth on the Palestinian Olympic team at the age of 47. She made her debut representing Palestine in Chania, Crete, on June 28, 2004 - her performance was 47.23. Despite the fact that her gesture to participate as a Palestinian was symbolic, the IAAF ruled her ineligible for the 2004 Summer Olympics
.
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...
er from Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. She was born in Trikala
Trikala
Trikala is a city in northwestern Thessaly, Greece. It is the capital of the Trikala peripheral unit, and is located NW of Athens, NW, of Karditsa, E of Ioannina and Metsovo, S of Grevena, SW of Thessaloniki, and W of Larissa...
.
She broke the world record on 1982-09-16 with a throw of 74.20 metres. That mark stood as a Greek record until the new javelin was introduced in 1999.
Sakorafa started competing in athletics at age fifteen as a member of Trikala Gymnastic Club. In total, Sakorafa – often pushed by her antagonism with Anna Verouli
Anna Verouli
Anna Verouli is a retired Greek javelin thrower. She was born in Kavala.She won the gold medal at the 1982 European Championships in Athletics, and a bronze medal at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics....
– broke the Greek record for the javelin seventeen times. She competed in the 1976 and 1980 Summer Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
.
Sakorafa is currently a physical education teacher. Besides athletics, she is also a political activist and has espoused several causes in her lifetime including world peace, women's rights, and Palestinian rights.
Sakorafa has served on the City Councils of 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...
and Maroussi. She also nearly won a seat in the Hellenic Parliament under the banner of PASOK
Panhellenic Socialist Movement
The Panhellenic Socialist Movement , known mostly by its acronym PASOK , is one of the two major political parties in Greece. Founded on 3 September 1974 by Andreas Papandreou, in 1981 PASOK became Greece's first social democratic party to win a majority in parliament.The party is a socialist party...
.
Sakorafa stirred controversy in 2004 when she became a Palestinian
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
citizen and applied at the last minute for a berth on the Palestinian Olympic team at the age of 47. She made her debut representing Palestine in Chania, Crete, on June 28, 2004 - her performance was 47.23. Despite the fact that her gesture to participate as a Palestinian was symbolic, the IAAF ruled her ineligible for 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...
.