Pole vaulter sues after pothole injury at Olympic stadium

Kostas Filippidis, a gold medal winner in the 2014 World Indoor Championships, injured his left knee during the June 19 training session and is asking compensation through a lawsuit filed in the Athens Court of First Instance.

Representative image.

Greek pole vaulter Kostas Filippidis is suing the owners of the Athens Olympic Stadium for 530,000 euros ($625,000) after a pothole left him injured during a practice session, his lawyer reported Monday.

The 30-year-old gold medal winner in the 2014 World Indoor Championships injured his left knee during the June 19 training session and is asking compensation through a lawsuit filed in the Athens Court of First Instance.

"The serious injury caused him to stay out of the stadiums and in a particularly important time for himself, missing three top international competitions," the suit filed by lawyer Vassilis Chirdaris on behalf of the athlete said.

In the lawsuit Filippidis claims that he and his coach Dimitris Kyteas had warned the stadium personnel numerous times about the pothole in the runway of the pole vault jump in the indoor training facility of the stadium without it being fixed.

The Athens Olympic Stadium is owned by the Greek state and hosted the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.