Inauguration of the Atlas Games Celebrated at United Nations Gala

United Nations – During a dinner gala at the United Nations Monday night, an eclectic crowd of 250 enthusiastic supporters, comprising athletes, businessmen, celebrities, diplomats, socialites and even a Greek parliamentarian, pledged their support to make the first Atlas Games in Athens, Greece a reality in 2007, announced Nicko Kangelaris, founder and president of the International Atlas Committee (IAC), producers of the games.

The Atlas Games will be the world’s largest amateur sporting event, bringing together 30,000 amateur athletes from 174 countries to participate in 40 separate sports programs. In addition, the host committee, IAC, has the ambition to pledge scholarship/endowments to support amateur athletes by providing $30,000 scholarships for each participant, totaling $900 million. These funds will be underwritten through securing television licensing, merchandising and other revenues generated by the Games, which will be held every two years. Plans are also being made by IAC to host the Junior Atlas Games for athletes between the ages of 13- and 17 years, during the off years. Throughout the events, rules and guidelines for amateur status will reflect those established by the NCAA.

Stavros Dailakis, member of the Greek Parliament and Tomearch of Greek Sports of New Democracy ruling party.

The Greek Government has already given its blessing to the movement, as well as full access of all Olympic venues across Greece for the use by the Games’ fledgling International Atlas Committee.

“Atlas was the mythic Greek God who was holding on his shoulders the Universe. I am here to represent our mythic God and embrace the effort of a young talented man born in Greece”.

Mr Dailakis spoke about the successful Olympic Games held in Athens last year and he pointed out that the idea of organizing the Atlas Games in Greece is very attractive, because Greece has all the necessary infrastructure.

“There is a new government in Greece running in an athletic pace. Our Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis is a man who loves sports”.

Mr Dailakis also mentioned that athletics is like an express train going through boarders.

“In this train we want to place the children of the world and at the last stop to have young people with values”.

Finally he added that although the goal of starting the Atlas Games in 2007 in Greece seems difficult, he is optimist that it is more than possible.

The IAC and its’ National Atlas Committees, are currently in the process of selecting the National Governing Bodies for each of the sports comprising the Atlas Games program. It is currently engaged in discussions leading to the recognition of the AAU’s chapters as the NGBs for the Atlas Games in the United States. Many other organizations have been approached, and a decision by the Executive Board of the IAC is anticipated by the end of June of this year.

“Sports are universal, they are a mechanism to bring people of the world together in peace and fair play by putting into action the philosophy that we live in one world without borders, just sports,” said Mr. Kangelaris, a U.S.A. boxing athlete who traded in his credentials to join the Greek National team in the 2004 Olympics and now boxes as a heavyweight. “Ours is the most ambitious athletic scholarship program today, but we feel it is critical to help people attain their personal goals without monetary needs or compromises. The Atlas games program differs from the Olympic games in that all athletes competing are exclusively amateur.”

Some of the well known guests at the event included actor Ron Silver, along with boxing greats Joe Frazier and Emil Griffith, and Golden Gloves Champions Jimmy Archer, William Finnegan and Juan LaPorte. Terrance “Tokey” Hill, the former U.S. Olympic Coach of the Year, was the Master of Ceremonies for the event and Muhammad Ali, who was unable to attend, was honored en absentia as the first recipient of the Atlas Award.

Other notable speakers during the course of the evening included Ambassador Adamamtios Vassilakis, Permanent Representative of Greece to the UN. Film composer and actress Leslie Loh performed an original piece from her latest film and each table was hosted by a celebrated athlete from a group that included Iran “The Blade” Barklay, Manuel DePeppe, Junior Jones, Chris Karanasos, Mark Mandel, Christina Muccini, Derek Panza, Pete Spanakos, Bob Wall, Bill Wallace, Flex Wheeler and Chuck Zito.

“Sports are a tool for diplomacy, a mechanism that brings understanding between countries,” added Mr. Kangelaris. “This is an opportunity to bring nations together in a true spirit of equality. Let’s be active together, not just spectators.”