4 November 2008

The United States Sports Academy's 2002 Sport Artist of the Year, painter Mina Papatheodorou-Valyraki, was awarded the "Guirlande d'Honneur" at the 26^th Milano International FICTS Festival in Italy. FICTS stands for "Federation International Cinéma Television Sportifs." The federation honored Papatheodorou-Valyraki during the festival's opening ceremony at Palazzo Marini in Milan, Italy.

Papatheodorou-Valyraki, of Greece, was chosen for the award following her retrospective exhibition "The Mind and the Body," which was part of the 2008 Cultural Olympiad in China. The show was held at Beijing's Jintai Art Museum and was inaugurated by the Hellenic Republic's president, Karolos Papoulias. The tribute to Papatheodorou-Valyraki also reflected her general artistic achievement through the years as a specialist in the human figure in motion.

The festival in Milan ran 31 October through 5 November, under the auspices of the Italian president, Giorgio Napolitano, the International Olympic Committee, and the municipality of Milan. More than 180 movies and videos from around the world were screened. The festival culminated in nominations of the best movies from participant countries.