Eight U.S. Olympians were recognized at a Symposium on Olympism, Sports and Nutrition, organized by the Embassy of Greece on December 10th, sharing their Olympic experience with the audience. The participating Olympians, praised for their achievements by Greek Ambassador Alexandros Mallias, were: Pat Connelly (Rome 1960), Albert Anthony Cantello (1960 Olympics), Lacey O’ Neal (1964 & 1972 Olympic hurdler), Charles Jenkins, Alrene Limas (1988, gold medal in Tae Kwon Do, Seoul, Korea), Jair K. Lynch (two-time U.S. Olympian and silver medallist on the parallel bars at the 1996 Olympic Games), Nathaniel Mills and David Stephens (1988 and 1996 Olympic Teams Track and Field Javel). David Stephens presented his 1996 Olympic Torch, while Ambassador Mallias presented the torch from the 2004 Athens Olympics. Also, representing the U.S. Olympic Committee, Olympians Jair K. Lynch and Alrene Limas exchanged gifts with Ambassador Mallias, acknowledging Greece’s gift to the world, the Olympic Games and the spirit of Olympism.
 
Participating in the Symposium were distinguished scientists and specialists discussed issues of nutrition and fitness from the antiquity until today, noting that they are both integral parts of the Olympic idea. Under the Chairmanship of Dr. Artemis Simopoulos, whose books on the Omega 3 Diet have been translated in 10 languages, the panellists referred to the 10 points of the Declaration of Olympia, which reaffirm the concepts of positive health postulated by Hippocrates and reassess their relevance to the Olympic ideal and the health of the world's populations.  Discussed were also the distinct characteristics and content of the diet of Greece, which distinguished it from other Mediterranean diets.
 
Symposium Chair: Artemis Simopoulos, M.D., President, The Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health. Speakers: Christine Spain, Director, Research, Planning, and Special Projects, The President’s of the U.S.A. Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Peter G Bourne, M.D., Visiting Scholar, Green College, University of Oxford, former Assistant to the President for Health Issues in the Carter White House and later Assistant Secretary General at the U.N.  Alketas (Alkis) Panagoulias, F.I.F.A. Instructor, former U.S.A. National-Olympic Coach, Greece National World Cup Coach. Norman Salem, Ph.D., Chief  of the Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry & Biophysics, Division of Intramural Clinical & Biological Research, U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Source: Press Office of the Embassy of Greece

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