Well, we're already in a real winter mood (perhaps the recent weather conditions have something to do with it, dude). So, how about some icy, cold, winter sports information this month? So dear reader, get the Red Bull out of the fridge and start breaking into a sweat while reading this column.

Local sport news:
The 2006-2007 Winter Darts championship will be hosted at the Nesta Café in Kokkini Hani. For those with a good memory, last winter's dart competition games were dominated by Gournes resident Andreas, who claimed victory after victory. Teams that want to challenge the Nesta Café team are more than welcome. First games are scheduled in the first week of November…more information available at: info@nestacafe.com

More winter news:
Year by year, figure skating is picking up millions of more fans worldwide, and the 2007 European Figure Skating Championship is sure to recruit new aficionados. For those who can not afford the trip to Warsaw, Poland, no worries – the event will be televised all over the world. Big names like Evgeni Plushenko (Russia), Brian Joubert (France) and for the ladies, Kimmie Meissner (USA) will make sure that we are having our meals in front of the TV set. Put it in your filofax, felt-tip it on the back of your hands – but be ready for this beautiful and exciting event from Jan. 23 through 17.

Ice Hockey:
While all NHL stadiums are packed, with tickets hard to get 'cause games are sold out weeks in advance, the game in Greece continues to have its problems. The Greek Ice Hockey team can't even play or practice in its home country since there is no ice rink available (the last ice rink in Greece was closed in May 2003). However, despite many problems the team keeps its hopes alive by practicing and playing games abroad. A recent tournament was held in Czech Republic and Greece won both games versus Slovakia and Czech Republic. A motivated team, bursting with the love for the game, the players and coaches are willing to do anything possible to bring ice hockey games home again. As written before, it's a real shame and a national disgrace for our country not to provide a venue for its own team. Check out the Greek Ice Hockey site at: www.icehockey.gr.

Sports in a nutshell:
China's former table tennis world champion Kong Linghui is retiring from competition to begin a coaching career. The 31-year-old admitted: "There is no way I can get back to international competition standard. Kong won Olympic doubles gold in 1996. He is one of just three people to win the table tennis grand slam . . . The Netherlands won the women's Field Hockey World Cup for the sixth time with a 3-1 victory over Australia in Madrid. "Our new players have fitted into the side after the last World Cup and they have improved so much that we have no weaknesses, so we are now a complete team," said coach Marc Lammers.

Trivia:
Here it is, the moment that we’ve all been waiting for! Yep, dear readers we have our first Ko-Go Sports Trivia winner. The answer to last month question (who was the winner of the Cyprus rally 2001?) was: Collin McRea. Congratulations to Tony Bowes long time resident of Kokkini Hani. We will contact you via e-mail about the prize you won and where to pick it up. Question for this month: Who became the youngest winner of a major dart event held at the world masters in Bridlington, beating Captain Martin Adams? Send in your answers before November 20 to: greeceweb@hotmail.com.