"I can no longer stand this situation, I want to stop, I want to calm down." With this phrase and with tears in his eyes, Thodoris Iakovidis announced that he is leaving the national weightlifting team, after completing his effort at the Tokyo Olympics.
The young child who once watched impressed by her successes, once a "dream team" and did not hesitate to follow them, has now realized that what he had dreamed was very different from the harsh reality.
"It is very sad to be ashamed to go to the physiotherapist because he does not take your money, because he knows your condition. "This thing is very sad and I can no longer bear this thing," he said and shocked the whole of Greece.
I had decided on it in 2018
"I had made this decision in 2018. The situation has been perpetuated for so many years. But because I love what I do I closed my eyes and ears, gritted my teeth and kept going. I said I would stop after Tokyo. If I continued with these conditions it would be catastrophic. I had to lay the groundwork for my athletic life. I am not in a security body or in the public sector. I work in a gym in Agia Paraskevi. I had to stop. I can not bear the pride of going to the masseur, Panagiotis, and the man not taking money from me because he knows the problem. "There are problems in all sports," he will say, speaking to "Kathimerini" a few hours after his moving statements.
"The federation gives me 200 euros a month"
"In the federation, they have been fighting for so many years and there is a bad image coming out. Until 2010-2011 it was good. We had our salary, our preparations. But the good things lasted for a while "he will say to explain that:
"In sports, all these years, I did not have the support I expected. The federation that gives 200 euros a month. What will be paid with this money? The rent; The food; The accounts? " completed. 
"I do not want them to take my emotional charge as an anniversary"
It is noted that the story of Theodore Iakovidis started a campaign to support the athlete and find the money to continue for Paris in the 2024 Olympic Games ..
"The interest is moving. Suddenly my social media pages were filled with 'followers'. A big thank you to everyone. I learned that Panathinaikos also started a campaign to find money to continue for Paris. I want to thank them but I do not want my emotional charge to be taken as begging. If money is raised let it be donated to a charity. I want the state mechanism to step forward and support children like me. For me the benefit is that I got messages from a lot of young kids who told me they admired me. "One of them, if sports start, is my profit."
In fact, when asked if there is a case for him to change his decision, he answers: "If the conditions change and I can train humanely, why not?".
Twitter on the side of the athlete who shocked Greece
It is recalled that from the moment of this outbreak on Twitter, a huge wave of support began, with most declaring their support for Theodore Iakovidis.
In fact, #Iakovidis was launched in the first place of the Greek trends with more than 15.000 posts.
https://twitter.com/EconomouDimitra/status/1421476321247600640
https://twitter.com/Betty_play/status/1421421045370826754
https://twitter.com/Laiki_Korasida/status/1421394612560801795
We live in a country where we make pseudo-celebrity gods and reality gamers and snub our athletes. # Ιακωβιδης
- Gogoζεφινος® (@ Giorgosstefano2) July 31, 2021
I am part of Greek sports and I take on the responsibilities that belong to me for the tears of Theodore Iakovidis in Tokyo. I can analyze the situation in EOAB from 2004 onwards so that you can draw your own conclusions. # Ιακωβιδης pic.twitter.com/aDRLAo5UqX
- Pyrros Dimas (@Pyrros_Dimas) July 31, 2021
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