The Panhellenic Sports Press Association (PSAT) issued a statement of condolence on the death of sports journalist, Pari Kalimeridis. Paris Kalimeridis passed away at the age of 70, after a battle with cancer, on Monday morning (16/10). Paris Kalimeridis was one of the leading basketball reporters in Thessaloniki and associated his name with the successes of Aris, at the time when Nikos Galis and Panagiotis Giannakis were in charge.

In its condolence announcement, the Panhellenic Sports Press Association (PSAT) states:

“The Board of Directors of the Panhellenic Sports Press Association (PSAT) is saddened to say goodbye to colleague Pari Kalimeridis, who passed away on Monday morning (16/10) after a long battle with cancer, at the age of 70. Paris Kalimeridis was admitted to intensive care on Sunday night (15/10), but this time he did not emerge victorious.

Paris Kalimeridis was a pioneer of basketball reporting in Thessaloniki. From 1967 he began to publish covering the local leagues, as a young reporter. He followed the reportage of HANTH in the A’ national basketball category, while afterwards he covered the reportage of PAOK. His peak professional moment, however, was when he took over the reporting of Aris, at the time when Nikos Galis and Panagiotis Giannakis were mediating. He was a close friend of Galis, during the time when the latter wore the jersey of Aris and followed the team of Thessaloniki, where he also competed in the final four of the European competitions.

He then developed brotherly relations with Panagiotis Giannakis and his family and also followed the national men’s basketball team. After the gold medal in Eurobasket in 1987 when Panagiotis Giannakis was the captain of the national team, Paris Kalimeridis was on the side of the “Dragon” and in 2005, in Belgrade, when the national team won the second gold medal in Eurobasket in its history.

Paris Kalimeridis worked at the newspaper “Macedonia – Thessaloniki”, at ERT3, at “TV 100”, while he edited many publications for Aris and PAOK.

Paris Kalimeridis was especially loved by his colleagues, because of his kindness, his humor and the support he offered to young journalists.

The Board of Directors of PSAT expresses its sincere condolences to the family of Paris Kalimeridis and his relatives.

Goodbye Paris! We will never forget you”.