‘I may not have ‘Cypriot blood’ running through my veins, but I am a proud Cypriot’

Young Cypriot athlete Marina Hadjicosta has spoken out about racist comments she received following her recent international success, saying she is proud to represent Cyprus regardless of her heritage.

In a social media post, the 17-year-old described herself as a “proud Cypriot” and said she would continue representing the country with pride.

Hadjicosta, who was born in Limassol in February 2009, said she was adopted at birth by her parents, Simoni Papaleontiou Hadjicosta and Savvas Hadjicostas.

Her biological mother was Polish and her biological father Nigerian.

She attended the 3rd primary school in Limassol before moving to Lanitio sports gymnasium and later Lanitio sports lyceum, where she is due to begin her final year in September.

Hadjicosta said her adoptive mother was a refugee from Varosha in Famagusta who moved to Limassol following the invasion of 1974, while her father is from Limassol, with family roots in Pachna and Akapnou.

“I may not have ‘Cypriot blood’ running through my veins, but I am a proud Cypriot and I have represented, and will continue to represent, my country with pride,” she wrote.

She recalled becoming emotional when hearing the Cypriot national anthem after winning gold at the European Under-18 Championships in Italy.

More recently, she won bronze at the World Under-20 Championships, saying that throughout the competition she had been determined to make Cyprus proud.

“Cyprus may be a small island with fewer than one million inhabitants, but we are a very strong country that can compete with countries considered giants,” she said.

Hadjicosta condemned the racist comments directed at her following her achievements, saying other athletes representing Cyprus had faced similar treatment.

She cited Cypriot hurdler Milan Trajkovic, whom she described as one of the greatest athletes to have represented the country, as another athlete who regularly faces such abuse.

“The racism I received in comments from various people after my successes is unacceptable,” she said.

She called on the state and relevant authorities to address discrimination so that people could “live harmoniously, without discrimination”.

“How ‘Cypriot’ I am is shown by my results and my humanity,” Hadjicosta said, before wishing the Cypriot team competing at the European Championships good luck.