The Venue

Ancient writers mention nothing about the foundation of the town. But in the 5th century ad, there is documentation that the bishops of Theodossiani, Amathus and Arsinoe were involved in the foundation of a city that was later known as Neapolis. By the 10th century ad, the city was referred to as Nemessos, by, amongst others, Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos. The history of Limassol is largely linked to the events of 1191, that put an end to the Byzantine dominion of Cyprus. When his fiancée, Berengaria, and sister, Joan of England (and Queen of Sicily) found shelter from rough seas on Cyprus while travelling to the Holy Lands, King Richard I the Lionheart came to the rescue. The Byzantine Governor of Cyprus, Isaac Comnenus, extended no welcome for the queens, eventually leading to a clash with Richard I and the fall of Cyprus to the crusaders, that put an end to Byzantine rule on the island. Richard destroyed Amathus and the inhabitants were transferred to Limassol. A year later, in 1192, Cyprus was sold to the Templars, rich monks and soldiers whose aim was the protection of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The knights enforced high taxes, in order to earn back the money that had been given for the purchase of Cyprus. This led to the revolt of the Cypriots, forcing Richard I to seek a new purchaser: Guy de Lusignan, a Roman Catholic Frank. Cyprus was thus handed over to the Frankish dynasty of the Lusignan kings. For a period of about three centuries (1192-1489) Limassol enjoyed a remarkable prosperity--until the occupation of Cyprus by the Turks in 1570. Limassol was conquered in July 1570 without any resistance. The Turks devastated and burned it. Descriptions of visitors during the Turkish occupation inform us that the town of Limassol resembled a village with a considerable number of inhabitants. The Christians used to live in small houses of such low height, that one had to bend in order to enter the house. This was deliberately done to prevent the Turks from riding a horse into the houses. The British took over in Cyprus in 1878. With Colonel Warren appointed the first British governor of Limassol. He showed a particular interest in the city and improvement was apparent very quickly. Roads were cleared, animals were removed from the centre of town, trees were planted and docks were constructed for the loading and unloading of ships, that previously had to anchor off-shore. Public street lighting was introduced in 1880. In 1912, electricity finally replaced the old oil lanterns. From the very first years of the British occupation, a post office, a telegraph office and a hospital were put in operation. In 1880 the first printing press started working. It was at this printing press that the newspapers "Alithia", "Anagennisis" and "Salpinx" were published from 1897 onwards. The first hotel was established at the end of the 19th century--amongst them the "Europe" and the "Amathus". The rise in birth rate during the late 19th and 20th centuries (1878-1960) reached 70%. The number of inhabitants climbed  from 6,131 in 1881 to 43,593 by 1960 (37.478 Greeks and 6,115 Turks). The Turkish-Cypriot inhabitants of Limassol were transferred to the north of Cyprus in 1975 after the Turkish invasion in Cyprus in 1974. Accordingly, many Greek-Cypriots who became refugees after fleeing from the north, settled in Limassol.

The city of Limassol, situated on the south coast of Cyprus, will host the 2007 European Masters Weightlifting Championship, to be held 19-26 May.

Cyprus Airways, the Official Air Carrier of the European Masters Weightlifting Championship, is offering the following discounts to participants in the competition: 12% discount on all published applicable fares (not including taxes and surcharges, subject on seat availability on direct flights). Reservations/issuance and payment of tickets must be made directly to the Cyprus Airways offices, with presentation of the Registration Receipt of the participation to the event. Please visit www.cyprusairways.com for all contact addresses and phone numbers.

Getting There: The main gateway to Cyprus is Larnaca International Airport, at a distance of 70 kilometres east of Limassol. A second international airport operates at Paphos, 69 kilometres to the west of Limassol. Cyprus is well-connected by air to most major centres of Europe and the Middle East. In addition to regular flights, dozens of holiday flights daily connect Cyprus with the rest of the world in season.

Accommodation: Limassol and its environs have an almost inexhaustible supply of accommodation, ranging from the really budget to the magnificently luxurious. Participants in the European Masters Weightlifting Championship may chose from pre-selected establishments. Please see table at the bottom of this page or refer to the downloads section for more information and lists of official hotels. All official reservations are managed through EventsOne.

Orientation: Limassol is located on the south coast of Cyprus, some 85 kilometres from the capital of Nicosia. The city and its suburbs form a strip along the Mediterranean waterfront, extending several kilometres either side of the old town. The main street runs parallel to the waterfront, one block inland. The Spyros Kyprianou Athletic Centre, that will host the European Masters Weightlifting Championship is located inland, on the western outskirts of Limassol, with easy access to the Paphos-Limassol-Nicosia-Larnaca highway.

Getting Around: Transportation for all participants and members of delegation to/from airports will be provided by the organisers. A shuttle-bus service linking official hotels and the competition hall will also be provided games time. Please refer to the downloads section for more information.
Limassol has the most extensive public transportation networks in Cyprus, enough to cover the needs of most visitors--with public buses running along the main street and linking most hotels with the town centre. Taxis are also readily available.
Numerous car- and motorcycle-hire outlets operate in Limassol. 

Money: The official currency of Cyprus is the Cyprus Pound, divided into 100 cents. Most major currencies may be exchanged at most major banks (open Monday to Friday 08:30-13:00), as well as at the larger hotels. Round-the-clock exchange facilities are available at both Larnaca and Paphos International Airports. Outside most bank branches, ATM’s dispense local currency.
Most major credit cards are widely accepted at almost every tourist-oriented establishment.

Time: Cyprus time is two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. Summer time, as in the rest of the European Union, is in effect from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October, bringing Cyprus three hours ahead of GMT.

Electricity: Electricity in Cyprus is 240V, 50 cycles, with UK-style, square-pin plugs. Adaptors are widely available at supermarkets, grocery stores, etc. Hotel receptions may also be able to provide assistance.

Telephones: Direct dial phone service is available between Cyprus and all countries of the world. International calls may be placed from any private or public phone. Public payphones come in three types: Coinphones, outdoor cardphones and indoor cardphones. All public phones have instructions posted in English and other languages. Telephone cards are widely available at kiosks and newsagents. To call overseas, dial 00 + country code + area code + local number. The international code for Cyprus (when calling from abroad) is 357.
Mobile phone networks in Cyprus are compatible with the European-wide GSM 900/1800 standards, but not with the systems available in the USA and Japan. Cytamobile-Vodafone and Areeba are the two mobile phone service providers in Cyprus. Both offer roaming in cooperation with foreign providers, as well as cheap PAYG (Pay-As-You-Go) local phone numbers and pre-paid cards.

Languages: Greek and Turkish are the official languages of Cyprus, but English is also very widely spoken. German and French are also spoken within the tourism industry.

Official Hotels:

CYPRUS WEIGHTLIFTING FEDERATION
21 Amphipoleos Street, P.O. Box 23931, CY 1687 NICOSIA
info@weightlifting.org.cy
Copyright © 2007 Cyprus Volleyball Federation All Rights Reserved.