Filenews 3 October 2025 - by Fanis Makridis
Complaints about the operation of an illegal cartridge disassembly laboratory at the Olympic Shooting Range located in Nicosia, were made yesterday.
The former secretary of the Olympiacos Trap and Paratrap Shooters Association, Marios Aristodimou, published on his Social Media account photos from a shooting range, in which, as he claims, cartridges are dismantled, specifically gunpowder and bullets are separated.
In fact, what raises reasonable questions has to do with Mr. Aristodemos' claim that these materials, which result from the separation of the cartridges, are channelled into the market without any control. "Illegal separation of gunpowder and bullets, with the material being channelled to the market without documents," notes Mr. Aristodimou verbatim.
Any concern that arises from the above positions has to do with the materials in combination with the fact that the process is done without any control. More specifically, materials such as gunpowder that may be trafficked under the radar of the authorities could very well end up in groups of people with criminal activity.
"F", in his attempt to gather more details about the complaint in question, was informed by a responsible source of information that visual material with the allegedly illegal laboratory has been brought to the attention of the competent authorities of the Republic of Cyprus for investigation, following an initiative of the Sports Ethics and Protection Committee. However, despite our best efforts, we have not been able to establish how the information was evaluated.
The position of SKOK
However, on the part of the Federation, there does not seem – at least for the time being – to be willing to comment substantially on the issue. "F" contacted the president of the Cyprus Shooting Federation, Lenos Kyriakou, yesterday afternoon. "We don't know it as an issue. I have no comment", was the initial position of Mr. Kyriakou in our newspaper.
And he added: "For us, it's café talk. This is Facebook gossip and we are not going to comment on it." Then, however, referring to the visual material, he said: "What was written is for the Nicosia shooting range. We contacted them and this is not the case."
The CSO is already involved
What Marios Aristodemou accused in yesterday's message was put before the president of the Cyprus Sports Organization, Giannis Ioannou.
As he announced the day before yesterday, Mr. Aristodimou intended to publish 10 hot issues related to the sport of shooting. In essence, with his post yesterday, he brought to the surface the first of these hot topics.
Addressing the president of the CSO, Mr. Aristodimou writes: "Good morning President. Today I am publishing the 1st of a series of 10 issues that I promised you yesterday. You know very well what the photos that people will see portray: Illegal amateur, cartridge dismantling workshop. You also know where it is: In a sports center hall paid for by the taxpayer as a hostel to host athletes. You were also informed about the business activity: Illegal separation of gunpowder and bullets, with the material being channelled to the market without documents. We all know that the trade in gunpowder, that is, explosives, without a licence is a criminal offence.
In essence, three questions:
1. What were the actions of the CSO when you were informed?
2. What decisions did you make as the owner of the sports center?
3. Has the hall returned to its original use, as paid for by the taxpayer?
On such issues, Mr President, silence is not neutrality. It's complicity."
The president of the Cyprus Sports Organization, Yiannis Ioannou, told "F" yesterday that the complaints made in writing by Marios Aristodemou are already of concern to the Organization. He said that Marios Aristodemou, the former shooting champion (skit) Christos Kourtellas and the president of the Cyprus Shooting Federation will be invited to attend the audit committee of the CSO that will meet next Monday. And this is in order to discuss the issues that have been raised.
The president of the CSO, in his statements to our newspaper, gave the stigma that the Organization is not indifferent to the issues of the Cyprus Shooting Federation. He said, in particular, that from the first moment he assumed his duties as president of the CSO, together with the other members of the board of directors of the Organization, they had meetings with the vice president of the Sports Ethics and Protection Committee, Efthymios Efthymiou.
He added that the board of directors of the CSO has been informed about the investigation of complaints made by the Ethics Committee for the sport of shooting (note: three investigations) and the testimonies about the commission of criminal offenses.
Mr. Ioannou explained that the administrative executives of the CSO have been informed about the progress of the investigations and are aware that the relevant investigations of the Ethics Committee were forwarded to the prosecuting authorities. He explained that the CSO cannot intervene in ongoing criminal proceedings, but assured that the Organization is closely monitoring developments.
