One year to go! On 17 September 2003, exactly one year before the Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony, the Medal and Mascot for the 2004 Paralympic Games were presented at a special event held at the ATHENS 2004 Conference Centre. Among those attending the event were the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President, Phil Craven, the Minister of Culture, Evangelos Venizelos, the Deputy Minister of Health, Vassilis Kontoyannopoulos, and the Deputy Minister of Sports, Giorgos Lianis. The ATHENS 2004 President pointed out that this is the first time that an Organising Committee has ever undertaken the preparation for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, adding that 4,000 athletes from 142 countries (a record number in the history of the Paralympic Games) will participate and offer world-class competition. The Minister of Culture referred to the two-fold significance of the Paralympic Games, since they are an achievement on both the athletic and social levels. The International Paralympic Committee President, Phil Craven, expressed his satisfaction for the progress of venue and infrastructure works, and added: "I do not see it as a problem that Athens is dug up at the moment and many, many works are taking place. When they are completed Athens will be a wonderful city." The Mascot Greet Proteas, the ATHENS 2004 Paralympic Games mascot! The creator of Athina and Phevos, Mr Spyros Gongos, was inspired by the Greek sea and the vision of the Paralympic Games, creating a new hero to express the values of the Paralympic Games –pursuit, strength, inspiration, and celebration. It is a sea-horse named after an ancient deity of the sea, and the name captures the idea of being the first –the ultimate goal of the Paralympic Games. For the presentation, Proteas was pictured training for three sports (Powerlifting, Equestrian, and Swimming). The strategic choice of ATHENS 2004 was for the mascot of the Paralympic Games to express a uniform visual identity, demonstrating that ATHENS 2004 considers both events –the Olympic and Paralympic Games– to be of equal value. The Medal The design of the medal depicts on one side the 2004 Paralympic Games emblem and the words "12th Paralympic Games ATHENS 2004" in Greek and in Braille. The Acropolis, a universally recognisable monument of Athens, is depicted on the reverse side of the medal, differentiating the medal of the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games from medals of previous Paralympic Games. The medal of the 12th Paralympic Games is the creation of designer Konstantinos Kazakos. ATHENS 2004 sails for "Aegeathlon"! From 20 to 25 September 2003, five athletes with a disability and two trainers-swimmers swam from Cape Sounio to Milos Island, stopping in between at the islands of Kythnos, Serifos, Sifnos, and Kimolos. This was "Aegeathlon", a marathon-swimming relay across the Aegean Sea. The athletes’ initiative, which coincided with the "One Year to Go" celebrations for the Paralympic Games, was fully supported by ATHENS 2004, and three of its Section Managers took part in the event. The starting signal was given from Cape Sounio at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, 20 September 2003, and the swimmers reached the island of Milos on Wednesday, 24 September, at the port Adamantas where an enthusiastic crowd was waiting to welcome them.