Vasilis Papageorgopoulos

Vasilis Papageorgopoulos (Greek Βασίλης Παπαγεωργόπουλος, * June 27, 1947 in Thessaloniki ) is a retired Greek sprinter and politician.

In 1971, he was fifth on 60 m at the Indoor Athletics Championships in Sofia. About 100 m he won at the European Athletics Championships in Helsinki and bronze at the Mediterranean Games Gold.

The following year, he won at the European Indoor Championships in Grenoble Bronze 50 m and reached at the Olympic Games in Munich the quarterfinals over 100 m.

An eighth place with over 60 m at the European Indoor Championships in Gothenburg in 1974 were followed by the silver medal at the Mediterranean Games in 1975 over 100 m and at the European Indoor Championships in Munich in 1976 about 60 m. At the Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976, he retired about 100 m from the inlet port.

From 1981 to 1998 studied the dentist for the New Democracy deputy in the Greek Parliament. Under Konstantinos Mitsotakis he was from 1991 to 1992 as deputy culture minister in charge of sports. From 1999 to 2010 he was mayor of Thessaloniki. His successor Giannis Boutaris gave him the right to have masked the financial situation of the city at the official handover.

In 2011 he was summoned by a committee who examined the embezzlement of 51.4 million euros urban funds. In February 2013 Papageorgopoulos was convicted with two other co-defendants in the first instance to life imprisonment because he had approved of the embezzlement. He rejected the allegations and announced plans to appeal.

Personal Best

• 50 m (Hall ): 5.75 s, March 11, 1972, Grenoble
• 60 m (Hall ): 6.4 s, January 19, 1972, Thessaloniki
• 100 m: 10.22 s, August 4, 1972, Izmir ( handgestoppt: 10.0 s, June 3, 1972, Bratislava )