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Nikos is an Olympic Gold Medallist and multi-world champion in the men's Olympic windsurfing event - Mistral. He most probably first hit the international headlines when he took the bronze at the boy's windsurfing event at the 1986 ISAF World Youth Sailing Championships, and from thereon his progress is well-documented. His greatest achievement must be winning the Gold Medal at the 1996 Olympic Regatta in Savannah, but he did not stop there and has gone on to win several world championships. Back in 1995 he was himself nominated for the World Sailor of the Year Awards, but the title was claimed by Russell Coutts (NZL).

Most recently Nikos pumped up his home country by winning gold at the 2002 Test Event in Athens - is this a taste of things to come at the 2004 Olympics? And over the past weekend he finished 8th at the Mistral Europeans in Austria.

Right now, Nikos' focus is on the forthcoming Mistral World Championships, which no doubt he would like to add to his tally of 2001, 2000 and 1996 Mistral Class World Championship titles.

ISAF looks forward to welcoming him as the host for the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards 2002, which will take place on 12 November 2002 in Limassol, Cyprus.

Nominations for the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards 2002 closed on 2 September 2002, and on Monday 16 September the World Sailor of the Year Awards Shortlist Panel chaired by HM King Constantine met to determine the final male and female sailors shortlisted to proceed to the concluding round of voting. The Shortlist Panel includes last year's respective winners, Ellen MacArthur and Robert Scheidt, together with representatives from the media and Rolex, and an ISAF Council Member representing each of the 6 main geographic regions.

The final shortlisted sailors will be announced in the coming week. To determine the final winners of each of the male and female Awards, every ISAF Member National Authority will be invited to cast their vote for who they believe should be crowned with the accolade of ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year 2002.

For full information on the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards 2002, go to:
www.sailing.org/worldsailor

If you would like to register to receive press releases and information on the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards 2002, then go to ISAF Sailor, and register via email services - www.sailing.org/isafsailor