Olympiacos denies the invasion of Kountouris and “inflaters” in the board of table tennis!

Convicted – by court order – slanderers, not only continue the propaganda, but have reached the level of North Korea and believe that by writing lies they can falsify facts to a target audience, like themselves. Because of the complex that possesses them, they attempt to present the protest of the Management of our Association, as something reprehensible, throwing “mud”, while they artificially hide the reasons that led to it.

On the occasion of the specific publication which turns white… orange, dismissing Mr. Michalis Kountouris and characterizing as “thugs” the representatives of the Administration and the active Members of the Union, because they attended a meeting of the Board of Directors. of the Hellenic Philatelic Table Tennis Federation, orally developing the fair and reasonable request of the O.S.F.P. regarding the postponement of the last matchday of the championship of the A1 National Men’s and Women’s Division, on 11-12/3/2023, we must inform the sports fans with the following:

1) The above last weekend coincides with the official international tournament SINGAPORE SMASH, which is organized by WTT 7-19/3/2023 by the World Table Tennis Federation (WTT and ITTF).

2) Athletes who have been ranked in the first positions of the world RANKING LIST MUST participate in the above official international tournament, and among them are the athletes who belong competitively to the OSFP: Pitchford, Gacina, Pucar , Monteiro, Pesotska, Pota, Vivarelli. The penalties for refusal to participate are cumulative monetary and competitive (loss of evaluation points).

3) OLYMPIAN S.F.P. on 9.1.2023, as soon as he became aware of the simultaneous holding of the above official international tournament with the last matchday of the Men’s and Women’s National Championship, he submitted a request to postpone this matchday for a few days or to hold it immediately within February. The negative response of the Federation was completely unjustifiably delayed in being communicated to OSF. (only on 22.2.2023)!

4) This negative answer, as expected, caused huge disappointment and disturbance, both in our Association and more widely internationally, since our sportsmen and women athletes were excluded from participating in the crucial final matchday of the National Championship. It also contradicts previous decisions of the Board of Directors. of the Federation, with which corresponding requests were accepted both of the O.S.F.P. as well as another group.

5) It circumvents, in the most brutal way, the principles of the equal conduct of the Championship, fair competition and good governance of the Federation, which for the same requests decides differently and miraculously against OSFP. It also deprives the world of table tennis fans of nice matches of high-standard athletes, which, if nothing else, also improve the competitive level of Greek athletes!

6) In the context of this situation and on the occasion of the basketball match that was held on Saturday (25/2) at the same time, in an adjacent room at S.E.F. and after informing the people of the Table Tennis department, that the Federation Council is taking place, representatives of the Administration of our Association, administrators, coaches of the department and a delegation of active Members, who wished to hear in person, the reasoning behind the decision, went to the room where the members of the Board of Directors were meeting of E.F.O.E.P.A.

Upon entering the meeting area, the members of the Board of Directors of the federation welcomed the representatives of our Union and suggested that they sit down in order to start the discussion, a request which was answered negatively, since it was not the intention of those present to abuse the time of the meeting.

The President of the Amateur OLYMPIC S.F.P., BEFORE the start of the meeting on 25.2.2023, at the Stadium of Peace and Friendship, after asking for and receiving the floor, tried to overturn a blatantly unfair decision (about not postponing) citing a series of rational arguments. Nor interruption of the meeting of the Board of Directors. there were, of course, no threats or other unfair means, which the specific website would have wished had existed, since its sole purpose has been for years the tarnishing of both OLYMPIAKOS and all, without exception, the persons involved in its administration.

7) Referring to the representatives of the Federation and to avoid similar phenomena in the future, we suggest that if you do not wish the championships to be altered, you issue a proclamation, without ambiguities and predict, based on the annual calendar of the world federation, in which competitions where there is an obligation participation you will grant a postponement and which ones you will not grant.

8) Finally recently, the Federation after the announcement of the ITTF and WTT program voluntarily made changes to its competition schedule (initially in December 2022 and again on 10/1/2023) rescheduling the Cup matches (Final Four Local Cup and Greek Cup Finals) because in its original competition schedule (1/7/2022, the aforementioned matches coincided with World Federation events (4-6/5/2023 African Cup and 20-28/5/2023 World Individual Championships Finals) .And it is obvious which club is favored by this particular postponement…

The Management of Olympiakos does not have to apologize to the condemned sycophants, but it is obliged to explain to the coaches and athletes of the Table Tennis department, for what reasons they may lose part of the money they are going to receive, due to their non-participation in its matches of the last matchday, or the possible loss of the premium for winning the championship, if they are willfully denied the opportunity to claim it on equal terms.

At the same time, we are asked to explain to the Members of the Association who ask us, what actions we have taken, as Management, to defend the interests of the Table Tennis sections of the Olympic S.F.P., in the face of a decision that clearly alters the ongoing championship .

The sole purpose of the OLYMPICS is the promotion of all sports, with the basic principle that the games must be won within the playing fields, with the male and female athletes of all teams as protagonists. However, a basic condition is the correct and objective information of sane fans. It is undoubtedly the President’s obligation to carry out any legal and ethical act deemed necessary to serve these purposes.