In the presence of the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, together with sports communityresponding to the call of the Deputy Minister of Sports, Yannis Vroutsis, cut off the New Year’s pie of Sports, in a special event, which held many surprises, due to the completion of 20 years since the organization of the Olympic/Paralympic Games in Athens and the conquest of the Euro by the National Football Team.

Iconic personalities from the field of Sports, Olympians, Paralympians, the Legends of 2004, distinguished athletes, ministers, deputy ministers, general secretaries and officials of the Ministry of Education, Religion and Sports, the president of the “Athens 2004” Organizing Committee, Gianna Angelopoulou , as well as representatives from all Sports bodies, attended the Ministry for the event,

“2004 was a year that raised Greece high”, declared the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and continued referring to the two emblematic events that took place in Sports, 20 years ago, “the perfect organization of the Olympic Games and of course the unique triumph of the National Greece. 2024, as an Olympic Games year, is an opportunity to unfold our overall plan for sports as a government. The connection between education and sports, in which I believe so much, is now confirmed through the institutional redistribution and of course the upgrading of the portfolio of the Deputy Minister of Sports to a Deputy Minister. I believe that this in itself sends a distinct message about the priority that the Greek Government and I personally attach to the importance of sports. This image of the sports family united is very nice. Sport unites. Sport is not divisive. And this government will continue to serve this mission of promoting sports as a whole in the country. With deeds and not with words.”

The Governor of the Bank of Greece, Yannis Stournaras announced the issue of commemorative, collectible coins from the Bank of Greece over the years, from the organization of the Athens Olympic and Paralympic Games and from the winning of the Euro by the National football team.

“The Bank of Greece always considers it an obligation to contribute to the issuance of collector coins that highlight important cultural, historical and sporting anniversaries of the country. And it is no coincidence that the Olympic coins of the “Athens 2004″ Committee, as well as recently the monetary program for the 200th anniversary of our country’s national independence, were printed at the mint of the Bank of Greece. In this context, the Bank of Greece, in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance and with its agreement, decided to satisfy the request of the Minister of Sports Mr. Vroutsis and to issue two silver collectible coins, carefully minted in special packaging, to contribute in the collective memory of these two important events of 2004” he characteristically said

Mr. Vroutsis, for his part, thanked Mr. Stournaras, stressing that “it is important to honor and keep these two emblematic milestones for Sports, which occurred in 2004, alive in perpetuity. Greece is the womb of Olympism, the birthplace of its ideals, and we must transmit our sporting memories to the next generations.”

He also emphasized that 2024 will also be the year of major reforms for Greek sports, with the top one being its full digital footprint through the e-Kouros platform, as well as the codification of the sports law and the application of spatial sports, with the innovative collaborations of the Ministry with the University of Peloponnese and the National Technical University of Athens”.

The president of “Athens 2004”, Gianna Angelopoulou, who was present at the event, welcomed the initiative and stated among other things: “I feel great joy, but also some emotion, to be here today. Because among you I see persons with whom we have a lot in common. The toils, the anxieties, the joys we experienced together 20 years ago. Above all, we are connected by that feeling of pride that filled us all then, when the lights of the celebration went out and we realized what we had achieved. The athletes, the volunteers, we of the organizing committee, the Greeks all together. This year is a special year. It’s Olympic year, the year of the Games in Paris. And at the same time it is the 20th anniversary of the Athens games, which the International Olympic Committee described as unforgettable. And many in the international Olympic family characterize them even today as the best of all time. Let’s remember it, then, and feel that feeling of pride again. We deserve it. And we need it.”

The representative of international trophy winners and captain of our legendary national football team, Thodoris Zagorakiss, emphasized: “Because I know the sensitivity of the Prime Minister for Sports and how much he loves it, I would like to thank him for the honor the State is doing us by issuing the anniversary coins, but also for the fact that he is with us today in this event. Of course, the Minister of Sports, Mr. Vroutsis, for the personal relationship he acquired within a month with all the athletes, of all sports, something that everyone recognizes, and the joy it gives us to feel the Ministry is our home. Also, Ms. Angelopoulou, I cannot fail to mention our joy at the fact that we gave the trigger in 2004 for the Olympic Games to be the huge success they were.”

Regarding the political leadership’s intention to invest in sports schools, the Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports assured, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, along with his wishes. For their part, the presidents of the Hellenic Olympic Committee and the Hellenic Paralympic Committee, Spyros Kapralos and Giorgos Kapelakis, expressed the hope that Greece would be at the top in 2024.

The event was graced with the presence of the Deputy Ministers of Education Zeta Makri and Ioanna Lytrivi, the general secretaries Giorgos Mavrotas (Sports) and Giorgos Voutsinos (Vocational Education, Training and Lifelong Learning), and the regional governor of Attica, Nikos Hardalias.

Also present were representatives from: the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC), the Hellenic Olympians Association (HEO), the Association of Participants in the Olympic Games (ESOA), the Hellenic Paralympic Committee (HPC), the Hellenic Paralympians Association (SEP), the International Olympic Academy (IOA), the National Olympic Academy (ETNOA), the Panhellenic Sports Press Association (PSAT), the 63 Federations, the professional leagues (Super League 1 and 2, Basket League, Volleyball League), the 17 National Sports Centers (EAK), the National Anti-Doping Organization (EOCAN), the Permanent Committee for Combating Violence (DEAB), the National Platform for Sports Integrity (EPATHLA), the Professional Sports Committee (EEA), BeActiveHellas, the Organizing Committees of EKO Rally Acropolis and the PPC International Cycling Tour of Greece, the Employees’ Association of the Ministry of Sports etc.