Seventeen-year-old Cypriot athlete Marina Hadjikosta, who recently achieved impressive successes on the international stage, made an open statement condemning racist remarks directed at her and emphasizing that she considers herself a full-fledged representative of Cyprus regardless of her origins.
In a social media post, the athlete called herself a “proud Cypriot” and promised to continue competing with honour for the country she sincerely loves. Marina was born in Limassol in February 2009 and was adopted at birth by the family of Simoni Papaleontiou Hadjikosta and Savvas Hadjikostas. Her biological mother has Polish roots, while her father is of Nigerian origin.
The girl grew up in Cyprus, attended the Third Primary School of Limassol, then continued her studies at the Lanitio Sports Gymnasium, and in September of this year she will begin her final year at the corresponding Lyceum. Marina’s adoptive mother is a refugee from Varosha in Famagusta who moved to Limassol after the tragic events of 1974. Her adoptive father is a native of Limassol whose family roots go back to the villages of Pachna and Akapnou. In her emotional address, the young athlete stressed: even if “Cypriot blood” does not flow in her veins, she is a Cypriot in spirit and intends to glorify her homeland at every competition.
Marina recounted that a particularly bright moment in her career was her victory at the European Under-18 Championships in Italy, where she won a gold medal. At that time, hearing the Cypriot anthem, she could not hold back her tears. And quite recently Hadjikosta added a bronze medal at the World Under-20 Junior Championships to her collection, and throughout all her starts her main motivation was the desire not to let her country down. The young woman proudly notes that Cyprus, despite its modest size and population of less than a million people, is a strong state capable of competing on equal terms with recognised sporting powers.
Unfortunately, the athlete’s triumph was overshadowed by racist comments she received after her victories. Hadjikosta condemned this harassment and recalled that similar attitudes have been shown more than once toward athletes representing Cyprus. She cited as an example Cypriot hurdler Milan Trajkovic, one of the most decorated track and field athletes in the country’s history, who regularly faces similar attacks. Marina considers it unacceptable that after outstanding results athletes should be subjected to insults on national grounds.
In her statement, the young champion called on the state and relevant authorities to fight discrimination more actively so that every resident of the country can live in harmony, without prejudice or division based on origin. Marina summed up her position with complete clarity: “My Cypriot identity is confirmed by my achievements and my humanity.” In conclusion, she wished good luck to the Cypriot national team at the upcoming European Championships and expressed the hope that her example will inspire other athletes to ignore prejudices and believe in their own strength.
Source: cyprus-mail.com
https://cyprusbutterfly.com.cy/news/yunaya-chempionka-kipra-otvetila-rasistam
