Christakis Christofides was a dear friend, Rest in peace
Last Wednesday, October 16, Christakis Christofides, a prominent citizen of Nicosia, passed away after a long and tortuous illness at the age of 68.
I want to write about an important part of the life of our dear friend Christakis.
During his entire life he was a devoted sportsman.
He went into athletics during high school and continued while studying in the UK.
In his office, among other memorabilia of his athletic career, there is a wonderful picture of Christakis receiving the baton as a member of the English School relay team.
There one can see his devotion to the sport: He is leaning forward, extending his left arm to grab the baton and his face has the expression of determination to win the race.
His devotion to sports continued during his studies at the Birmingham University where he received his B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering and also afterwards at the City University in London where he received his MBA.
He continued to train regularly after returning to Cyprus and he participated in competitions for veterans. He enjoyed the competitions and he was happy to display the Cyprus flag during these games. He participated in European, British, Balkan, and Greek veterans’ games. He also participated at the Lemesia Veterans games in Limassol.
Throughout his life, Christakis trained regularly and participated in many races. He also did a lot of swimming, skiing, and tennis despite his very busy schedule as a businessman, husband, and father.
His dedication to sports was reflected in his character; Before the race he would shake my hand and wish me good luck and after the race he would congratulate me despite beating me.
Christakis was always polite and there was no trace of arrogance in his character. He was a true gentleman.
Christakis was devoted to the ancient and immortal spirit of “the Big, the Beautiful and the True” as a Greek poet called the Olympic Spirit. Rest in Peace my dear friend.
Harry Demetriou.
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