For decades, Greece has been campaigning for the return of 17 marble figures and part of a 160-metres-long frieze that once adorned the 2,500-year-old Parthenon temple on the Acropolis of Athens. Housed in London's British Museum since the early 19th century - when Lord Elgin, then Britain's ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, removed them from the Acropolis and sold them to the British museum-the Pathernon (or Elgin) Marbles have been at the centre of a long-running debate on whether or not they should be returned to their land of origin. The British Museum has firmly refused to give them back purporting that, while in its care, the sculptures are protected from the damage and deterioration.
In recent years, and as a result of Greece's unwavering international campaigning, a growing number of British institutions, intellectuals and citizens have openly expressed their disagreement with the official UK stance, asking for the return of the Marbles to Greece.
British doctor Christopher Stockdale is one of them. But the way he chose to campaign for the Marbles Return is definitely unique. The 56-year-old general practitioner from London set out at 6am on Saturday, July 1, aiming to swim a distance of 26 nautical miles (47 km), between the uninhabited island of Delos an ancient centre of religious, political and commercial life in the Aegean and the resort island of Paros.
Three miles short of his destination, Stockdale encountered strong currents that prevented him from completing the swim; he was pulled out of the sea three miles off Paros Naoussa port, organisers said. Although disappointed, Stockdale told reporters that "if this helps in any way to bring back the Marbles, I will be glad".
Upon arriving on the isle of Paros - chosen for its historic role as fund-keeper of the Athenian Alliance, which contributed to the building of the Parthenon - Stockdale was offered an olive branch and greeted by hundreds of cheering spectators. Also present were film director Jules Dassin - widower of the late Culture Minister and avid campaigner for the Marbles return, Melina Mercouri - the President of the Melina Mercouri Foundation and Minister of the Aegean, Nikos Sifounakis. In his welcoming speech, Sifounakis said that, "some day the marbles will return to Greece and Christopher Stockdale will be one of the fighters and victors of good".
Stockdale completed his swim in approximately 12 hours. The event was organised by the Melina Mercouri Foundation in order to attract sponsorship for the construction of a new Acropolis Museum in Athens, which will house the Marbles, once returned.
Prior to the swim, London's Hellenic Centre held a special evening to launch The Marathon Swim for the Marbles. The event was addressed by various officials, including Graham Binns, Chairman of the British Committee for the Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles, who spoke about sponsoring the swim, and Dr Peter France, who talked about Delos and Paros and the islands' 4,000-year history and culture. Stockdale himself also addressed the crowd speaking about his twenty years of swimming for various causes - including raising funds for hospitals in swims across the English Channel and around Manhattan Island in New York.
