# Sofia Sakorafa

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Greek politician and athlete

Sofia Sakorafa Σοφία Σακοράφα Sakorafa, 2016 Deputy Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament In office 18 July 2019 – 21 May 2023 Serving with Nikitas Kaklamanis, Haralambos Athanasiou, Athanasios Bouras, Dimitris Vitsas, Odysseas Konstantinopoulos, Giorgos Lambroulis, and Apostolos Avdelas Speaker Konstantinos Tasoulas Member of the Hellenic Parliament In office 8 July 2019 – 21 May 2023 Constituency Athens B3 In office 17 June 2012 – 5 May 2014 Succeeded by Fotini Kouvela Constituency Athens B Member of the European Parliament In office 1 July 2014 – 2 July 2019 Constituency Greece Personal details Born (1957-04-29) 29 April 1957 (age 69) Trikala, Thessaly, Kingdom of Greece Citizenship Greek Palestinian Party PASOK (2000–2010) Syriza (2012–2015) Independent (2015–2018) MeRA25 (2018–2023) Alma mater Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Occupation Politician Sports career Country Greece Sport Women's Javelin

**Sofia Sakorafa** ([Greek](/source/Greek_language): Σοφία Σακοράφα, born 29 April 1957 in [Trikala](/source/Trikala), Greece) is a Greek-Palestinian politician and former [javelin thrower](/source/Javelin_throw). She was a [Member of the European Parliament](/source/Member_of_the_European_Parliament) for [Greece](/source/Greece_(European_Parliament_constituency)) as member of the political party [MeRA25](/source/MeRA25), having formerly sat for [Syriza](/source/Syriza) and before that served, from June 2012 to July 2014, as a Syriza Member of the [Hellenic Parliament](/source/Hellenic_Parliament). She served as a deputy speaker in the [Hellenic Parliament](/source/Hellenic_Parliament) for the [MeRA25](/source/MeRA25) party.[1] She is the president of [Association hellénique d'athlétisme amateur](/source/Association_hell%C3%A9nique_d'athl%C3%A9tisme_amateur) (SEGAS).

## Education

Sakorafa graduated in physical education from the [Aristotle University of Thessaloniki](/source/Aristotle_University_of_Thessaloniki).[2]

## Athletics

She started competing in athletics as a member of Trikala Gymnastic Club. She competed in the 1976 and [1980 Summer Olympics](/source/1980_Summer_Olympics).[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

She won the bronze medal at the [1982 European Championships](/source/1982_European_Athletics_Championships) in [Athens](/source/Athens).[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] In 1983, after winning the Balkan Games, she had achieved the third performance of the year with a throw of [72.28 m](/source/1983_in_the_sport_of_athletics), but eventually had to withdraw from the World Championships in Helsinki, due to injury.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

She was named the [Greek Female Athlete of the Year](/source/Greek_Female_Athlete_of_the_Year) for 1981 and co-Athlete of the Year with javelin thrower [Anna Verouli](/source/Anna_Verouli) for 1982.

### Competition record

Year Competition Venue Position Notes Representing Greece 1976 Olympic Games Montreal, Canada - NM 1978 European Championships Prague, Czechoslovakia 13th (q) 56.76 m 1979 Mediterranean Games Split, Yugoslavia 1st 57.96 m GR 1980 Olympic Games Moscow, Soviet Union - NM 1982 Balkan Games Bucharest, Romania 1st 62.08 m European Championships Athens, Greece 3rd 67.04 m 1983 Balkan Games İzmir, Turkey 1st 71.28 m CR World Championships Helsinki, Finland - DNS 1986 Balkan Games Ljubljana, Yugoslavia 1st 61.00 m 1987 Mediterranean Games Latakia, Syria 3rd 57.16 m Representing Palestine 2004 Venizelia Chania, Greece 4th 47.23 m MW45WR (q) Indicates overall position in qualifying round

### 2004 Olympics

Sakorafa stirred controversy in 2004 when she became a [Palestinian](/source/Palestinian_territories) citizen and applied a few months before the Olympic Games for a berth on the [Palestinian Olympic team](/source/Palestine_at_the_2004_Summer_Olympics) at the age of 47. She made her debut representing Palestine in Chania, Crete, on 28 June 2004 - her performance was 47.23 metres. Despite the fact that her gesture to participate as a Palestinian was symbolic, the [IAAF](/source/IAAF) ruled her ineligible for the [2004 Summer Olympics](/source/2004_Summer_Olympics).[3]

## Professional career

Sakorafa worked in as a secondary teacher of physical education before working as a freelance. From 1994 to 1996, she served as an adviser to the sports minister and as Chairman of the Commission for Sport and Woman.[2]

## Political career

She has served on the City Councils of Athens, from 1994 to 1998, and [Maroussi](/source/Maroussi), from 1998 to 2006. She was elected as a member of the [Hellenic Parliament](/source/Hellenic_Parliament) under the banner of [PASOK](/source/Panhellenic_Socialist_Movement) three times (in the elections of 2000, 2007 and 2009).[2] She failed to win a seat in parliament following the 2004 elections.

On 6 May 2010 she refused to vote in favour of the austerity measures and the loan agreement between the Greek government and the IMF/EU. As a result, she was expelled from PASOK. She served as an independent member of the parliament until 2012.[2]

She participated in the 2012 legislative elections as a member of [Syriza](/source/Syriza) and was elected in [Athens B](/source/Athens_B). In the [Shadow Cabinet of Alexis Tsipras](/source/Shadow_Cabinet_of_Alexis_Tsipras), she had responsibility for the interior.[2] She resigned from the Hellenic Parliament in May 2014 in order to contest the European Parliament election.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

In the 2014 European Parliament elections, she was elected as a [Member of European Parliament](/source/Member_of_European_Parliament) for Greece, representing Syriza. She is a member of the [Committee on Foreign Affairs](/source/European_Parliament_Committee_on_Foreign_Affairs), the [Committee on Petitions](/source/European_Parliament_Committee_on_Petitions) and is a substitute for the [Committee on Industry, Research and Energy](/source/European_Parliament_Committee_on_Industry%2C_Research_and_Energy). Since 16 October 2014, she has been the chair of the Delegation for relations with the countries of Central America, having previously been a member. She is therefore also a member of the [Conference of Delegation Chairs](/source/Committees_of_the_European_Parliament#Conference_of_Committee_Chairs).[4]

On 28 September 2015, Sakorafa left Syriza to sit as an Independent within the [GUE/NGL](/source/GUE%2FNGL) grouping.[4] She resigned from Syriza over disagreements with the leadership over the introduction of further austerity measures in Greece. She said: "It's clear that I cannot support any government nor any policies that involve measures that harm the people."[5]

In December 2018 Sofia Sakorafa joined the Greek party [MeRA25](/source/MeRA25).[6] On 26 May 2019, she lost reelection as a member of the European Parliament as member of [MeRA25](/source/MeRA25).[7]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-deputy_1-0)** ["Conservador Tasulas, nuevo presidente del Parlamento griego"](https://m.dw.com/es/conservador-tasulas-nuevo-presidente-del-parlamento-griego/a-49629514). *m.dw.com*. Retrieved 18 July 2019.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-sycv_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-sycv_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-sycv_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-sycv_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-sycv_2-4) ["Sofia SAKORAFA"](https://web.archive.org/web/20151125113155/http://www.syriza.eu/index.php/en/eyrwboyleytes/sofia-sakorafa). *Syriza*. Archived from [the original](http://www.syriza.eu/index.php/en/eyrwboyleytes/sofia-sakorafa) on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Olympics: IOC Blocks Greek Javelin Champion's Olympic Comeback for Palestine"](http://www.allbusiness.com/middle-east/israel/196393-1.html), Agence France-Presse, 11 August 2004

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-hist_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-hist_4-1) ["Sofia Sakorafa - History of parliamentary service"](http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/125091/SOFIA_SAKORAFA_history.html). *European Parliament*. Retrieved 24 November 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ann_5-0)** ["SYRIZA MEP Sofia Sakorafa announces independence"](http://www.ekathimerini.com/201423/article/ekathimerini/news/syriza-mep-sofia-sakorafa-announces-independence). *Kathimerini*. 11 September 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Στο ΜέΡΑ25 η Σοφία Σακοράφα"](https://www.efsyn.gr/politiki/antipoliteysi/176420_sto-mera25-i-sofia-sakorafa).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["ΜέΡΑ25 | Ευρωεκλογές – Μάιος 2019"](https://ekloges.ypes.gr/current/e/home/parties/122/). *ekloges.ypes.gr*. Retrieved 28 May 2019.

## External links

- [Personal profile of Sofia Sakorafa](http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/125091) in the [European Parliament](/source/European_Parliament)'s database of members

- [http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0199-4190090_ITM](http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0199-4190090_ITM)[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

- [Sofia Sakorafa](https://worldathletics.org/athletes/-/14293356) at [World Athletics](/source/World_Athletics)

- ["Βιογραφικό"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120528180903/http://www.sakorafa.gr/pages/page.php?pge=19&lng=1). *sakorafa.gr* (in Greek). Archived from [the original](http://www.sakorafa.gr/pages/page.php?pge=19&lng=1) on 28 May 2012.

*This article incorporates text from the article [Sofia_Sakorafa](http://wiki.phantis.com/index.php/Sofia_Sakorafa) on [Phantis.com](http://wiki.phantis.com), which is licensed under the [GFDL](/source/GFDL) ([\[1\]](http://wiki.phantis.com/index.php/Phantis:General_disclaimer)).*

Sporting positions Preceded by Antoaneta Todorova Women's Javelin Best Year Performance 1982 Succeeded by Tiina Lillak

v t e Mediterranean Games champions in women's javelin throw 1967: Jamila Ben Badr (TUN) 1971–1975: Not held 1979: Sofia Sakorafa (GRE) 1983: Anna Verouli (GRE) 1987: Kristina Jazbinšek (YUG) 1991: Anna Verouli (GRE) 1993: Nathalie Teppe (FRA) 1997: Nadine Auzeil (FRA) 2001: Claudia Coslovich (ITA) 2005: Aggeliki Tsiolakoudi (GRE) 2009: Savva Lika (GRE) 2013: Martina Ratej (SLO) 2018: Not held 2022: Adriana Vilagoš (SRB)

Authority control databases: People World Athletics MEP directory

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sofia Sakorafa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofia_Sakorafa) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofia_Sakorafa?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.