Greece’s Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura and Crete’s Governor Stavros Arnaoutakis, joined four of Russia’s most distinguished cosmonauts to inaugurate Yuri Gagarin Park.
Stavros Arnaoutakis
Crete’s Archanes Village Holds 1st Annual Table Tennis Competition
The 1st Annual Archanes Table Tennis School Tournament took place over two days this week. The event, organized by the Archanes Athletic Club Giouchtas 2010, featured young competitors vying for the champion status at the inaugural event, as well as European champions of table tennis. Organized for the purpose of disseminating the good sportsmanship and excellence for the promotion of Olympic Table Tennis, the tournament was sponsored by the Region of Crete and leading local businesses to afford local children an unforgettable experience.
Leaders Aim to Preserve and Share Crete’s Kommos Palatial Site
Situated on a hilltop overlooking the Gulf of Messara in south-central Crete, the Minoan settlement of Kommos may reveal amazing secrets from the Bronze Age. However, as fabulous such new discoveries may be, the intersection of modern touristic products and the island’s heritage are brought into sharp focus today. With untold Minoan Civilization discoveries still unearthed, Crete’s beaches and other touristic offerings represent a real crisis dynamic and a public dilemma. The good news is, a new preservation and public access initiative by Heraklion parliamentarian Nikos Igoumenidis and Greece’s Minister of Culture Lydia Koniordou may pave the way to remedying these cultural points of pain.
Crete Welcomes Russian Cosmonauts – Honors Yuri Gagarin
If there ever were a more rigorous, dangerous, and demanding profession, the role of a cosmonaut is surely mission critical. News this week Russian ISS crewmembers Alexey Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka are ending 172 days in space on Crete, it says a lot about the healing powers of our favorite island.