Greece's "beleaguered Olympic sports federations are struggling for their very existence following a new round of cuts in state funding despite several new emergency measures announced on Friday," according to Graham Wood of REUTERS. Funding received by most disciplines has been halved in the government's proposals for the '14 budget compared with last year, "causing uproar among the federations who are already only able to afford basic operating costs just 10 years on from the 2004 Athens Olympics." Hellenic Olympic Committee President Spyros Capralos "held an emergency meeting with the presidents of several federations," Sports Minister Giannis Adrianos and General Secretary for Sport Kyriaki Giannakidou on Friday. After five hours of talks "it was revealed that federations would benefit from, among other things, free usage of state-owned venues for training and the staging of national competitions." The state "also pledged to cover the costs of doping controls." The Greek athletics federation (SEGAS) revealed that "its budget has been cut" by 48% compared with '13 and by 70% compared with '12 (REUTERS, 3/14).
