Olympic weightlifting champion and former MP Pyrros Dimas gave an interview to a sports-themed radio station in Athens and blamed the government for his decision to seek employment in the US.
“From the moment Syriza came to power, they cut 55 per cent from the Greek federation,” Dimas said, explaining that this all but prevented new talent from emerging and taking part in international athletic competitions.
The Olympian pointed out that only the Weightlifting Federation was affected by funding cuts, attributing this to his own voluntary involvement.
“It was like they were telling me to pack up and leave,” said Dimas, who now lives and works in the US as a weightlifting adviser. “Syriza essentially sent me away. It was a political decision,” he said.
Dimitris Papadimoulis, a Syriza member of the European Parliament, dismissed the claim by Dimas saying in a tweet that he “more likely found a better job in the US, rather than was booted out” and attributed the funding cuts to the doping scandals which had put the federation to shame.