Proud to be a Cypriot

Sir,
When I inquired of a mainland Greek why Greek Cypriot footballers were not permitted to play in the Greek national team I was told that only Greek born Greeks possessed that right.

Then why were we subjected to so many Greek flags at the Australian Open, the blue and white T-shirts of enraptured spectators and only the one solitary Cypriot flag?

And that’s my dilemma, as a British-born Cypriot, I find this back scratching objectionable, but at last a Cypriot-born Cypriot of mixed origins, Lebanese and Cypriot, succeeded in putting Cyprus on the world map by bringing the entire world of tennis to its feet.

Thank you Marco and his family – I suppose he knew that only 2 per cent of North Americans were capable of positioning Cyprus correctly on this map ahead of the Open, certainly that percentage has increased considerably since last Sunday, suggesting what a wonderful ambassador he is.

I have often wondered whether if Cyprus’ history had been anywhere near as glamorous as that of ancient Greece, we would have sought Enosis with as much relish as some did in the last century. Give us half a dozen like Marcos, whether they be sportsmen, writers, artists or scientists, and Cypriots might at last stand proudly on their own two feet and become a nation, a tribe or federation of tribes, mixed or not. I am proud to be a Cypriot although spoken softly before last Sunday.

Hermes Solomon, Ayios Andreas, Nicosia