EEC celebrated World Basketball Day at KEA Chara

From this year, basketball has its own World Day by decision of the UN and the EEC sent its own message that the sport we love is for everyone, that December 21st should send the message of inclusion with the vehicle of the orange ball!

The president of EEC, Vangelis Liolios, Dimitris Diamantidis, Costas Tsartsaris, Evina Maltsi, Mariella Fasoula and the director of EEC, Dinos Sverkounos, visited KEA Hara, together with Hasan Kalil, Diplomatic Representative of UNICEF Greece.

The Vice-President of KEA Xara, Alexandra Pallis, guided the EEC staff around the premises of the structure and presented the very important work that they do every day, while in turn Vangelis Liolios presented the interventions of the Hellenic Basketball Federation in the internal and external areas of the structure, which aim to include basketball in the daily program of the Center’s beneficiaries and to obtain, with the help of the Center’s experts, the multiple benefits of sports. Dimitris Diamantidis, Kostas Tsartsaris, Evina Maltsi and Mariella Fasoula played basketball and painted together with the beneficiaries of the JOY Center, giving special moments and lots of smiles.

Vangelis Liolios, Hassan Kalil and Alexandra Palli (vice president of KEA Chara) spoke about the message of today’s visit, but also of the UN’s decision to dedicate a day to basketball:

Vangelis Liolios: “I would like to thank you very much for the invitation we received to visit KEA Chara, a voluntary private effort that also helps people with special needs. We are very happy to be here. Today is World Basketball Day as decided by the UN. It’s December 21, the day basketball was born in Springfield, it’s the day Naismith discovered, invented, created a new sport, basketball, on a cold night. It was the longest night of winter, but basketball is what brought the light, the shine, that helps us become better people. Coming here today to show and highlight your effort shows that basketball is not just a shot, a basket, a sport, but a whole society. They are principles and virtues, like all sport, which is an integration in itself that embraces them all. He embraces all these people, the children who have special abilities. By associating with all people first of all we become better people and then we take at least a little of the love that these people give us to give back. We represent Greek basketball together with accomplished sportsmen and women who have glorified Greece. Here we are among people and children with special abilities who offered us something very powerful today and I urge everyone to support this and similar efforts, not for their good, but for ours and our society’s good. We are a society that needs to be united, we need these children, a need to realize our role as people in the short time we are in this world.”

Hassan Kalil: “I would like to thank the managers of KEA Chara, the president of EEC and friend, Vangelis Liolios and all the sportsmen and women who are here. It is World Basketball Day and it is the first time that it is celebrated according to a UN decision. It is impressive, because once again it confirms that sport is development and is for everyone, because children’s rights are for everyone. Coming here today and seeing this space and the outdoor space where children and adults who have special needs can exercise their right to sport is truly impressive! It’s the best message for Basketball Day. We thank the effort of the EEC that brings the rationale of human rights, children’s rights to this special sport for the good of society.”

Alexandra Palli: “Our boarding school has been operating since 1983. It is very important for us that you are here, because we see how you promote the team, how “I” becomes “we”, how “I can’t” becomes “I can”. This gives great strength to all of us, the staff, the board, the volunteers, the parents. Sports has a very strong and huge voice. You are that voice and strength. Inclusion is important. People with special needs should not be excluded. Society must integrate us all. Through basketball, you know it, it’s World Basketball Day. It is a symbolic day, which was established by the UN and it shows us the examples of inclusion, of self-confidence, it gives self-confidence to our children. What you will do today gives confidence to our children. Thank you for being with us and supporting us.”