Spyros Capralos is reelected President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee for a third four-year term. Mr. Capralos got 14 votes out of 14 voters.

During his speech after the election Mr. Capralos said: “I would like to thank you for showing trust in me electing me President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee for the third time. It is not a personal victory of Spyros Capralos, it is a victory of the Greek sport, victory of our athletes, who in difficult times, fought hard and starred at the Rio Olympics. We will continue together for the benefit of the Greek sport."

Since its foundation, Presidents of the HOC have been:
Crown Prince Constantine(1894-1912)
King Constantine (1913)
Crown Prince George (1914-1917)
Miltiadis Negrepontis (1918-1920)
Crown Prince George (1921-1922)
King George B’ (1922-1923)
George Averoff (1924-30/4/1930)
Ioannis Drosopoulos (1/5/1930-1936)
Crown Prince Paul (1936-1948)
King Paul (1948-1952)
Kostas Georgakopoulos and Ioannis Ketseas (1953-1954)
Crown Prince Constantine (1955-1964)
Crown Princess Irene (1965-1968)
Theodosios Papathanasiadis (1969-1973)
Spyridon Vellianitis (31/1/1973-1974)
Apostolos Nikolaidis (30/8/1974-1976)
Georgios Athanasiadis (1976-1983)
Aggelos Lempesis (14/4/1983-1984)
Lambis Nikolaou (1985-1988 and 1989-1992)
Antonios Tzikas (1993-1996)
Lambis Nikolaou (1997-2000 and 2001-2004)
Minos X. Kyriakou (2004-2009)
Spyros Capralos (2009 - today)

The Hellenic Olympic Committee’s administration board will be holding important meetings with officials of the International Olympic Committee and TOYOTA in the next two days (30th and 31st March). The HOC will sign the sponsorship agreement with the Japanese Motor Corporation. Toyota will be the official sponsor, in the mobility category, of the torch relay for the Winter Olympics “Pyeongchang 2018” and the Summer Olympics “Tokyo 2020”.
On Thursday morning, the HOC President, Spyros Capralos and the General Secretary Manolis Kolympadis together with the Chairman of Olympic Torch Relay, Thanasis Vassiliadis will accompany their distinguished guests on a tour at the Panathenaic Stadium and then they will travel to ancient Olympia in order for the guests to become acquainted with the premises where the Lighting and Handover ceremonies are performed. In ancient Olympia they will visit the temple of Hera and the ancient stadium, the HOC premises and will meet the Mayor of Olympia, Mr. Efthymis Kotzas.

On Friday there will be a working group at the HOC headquarters in Athens, where the sponsorship agreement will be signed between Toyota and the HOC. Toyota will provide financial assistance as well as vehicles for the HOC needs while this is the first time a Top Partner of the International Olympic Committee becomes a local Partner of the HOC. This is undoubtedly a great success for the HOC, especially at these difficult times where resources are sought in order to meet the needs of the Greek male and female elite athletes.

Preparations for the 2019 European Games are set to go under the microscope tomorrow when the European Olympic Committees (EOC) Coordination Commission visits host city Minsk.

BelTA reports that representatives of the Commission will hold working meetings with Andrei Astashevich, vice-president of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Belarus (NOC RB), and Belarus’ Sport and Tourism Minister Alexander Shamko.

Among the topics due to be discussed are the Games programme, the terms of the contract on hosting the event and the operation of the directorate.

Leading the EOC delegation will be Coordination Commission head Spyros Capralos, who was appointed to the position in January.

Capralos, President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC), will be joined by Coordination Commission deputy chairman Zlatko Matesa, EOC senior sports consultant Pierce O'Callaghan and EOC European Games liaison officer Steve Scott.

EOC financial manager Giovanni de Angelis and EOC commercial adviser Andrew Craig complete the delegation.

The Coordination Commission is set to visit the venues to be used for the European Games, including the Minsk Arena, the Chizhovka Arena, the Dinamo Stadium, Football Manege, the Minsk Sports Palace and the Palova Arena.

Plans to include archery and weightlifting on the programme for the 2019 European Games in Minsk were discussed on the opneing day of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) Coordination Commission visit to the Belorussian capital today.

The Commission held meetings with Andrei Astashevich, vice-president of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Belarus (NOC RB), and Belarus’ Sport and Tourism Minister Alexander Shamko, on day one according to the country's official news agency BelTA.

Leading the EOC delegation is Coordination Commission head Spyros Capralos, appointed to the position in January.

Capralos, President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, has been joined by the Commission's deputy chairman Zlatko Mateša, the former Prime Minister of Croatia and now head of the Croatian Olympic Committee.

EOC senior sports consultant Pierce O'Callaghan and EOC European Games liaison officer Steve Scott are also part of the Commission.

EOC financial manager Giovanni de Angelis and EOC commercial adviser Andrew Craig complete the delegation.

BelTA has reported that Matesa confirmed plans to include archery and weightlifting in the sporting programme following today's discussions.

Archery was part of the programme at the last European Games, at Baku in 2015, but weightlifting was not.

Two world sports legends traveled to Athens, the Olympic Champion and member of the IOC Executive Board, Sergey Bubka and the top European long jumper of all time, Robert Emmiyan. Bubka and Emmiyan met with the HOC President Spyros Capralos, they recalled moments of the past and discussed the future of the Olympic Movement while attending an athletics event held in Kallithea, Athens.

The form must be completed and sent to the Hellenic Olympic Committee – Department of the Torch Relay Commission by e-mail:torchrelay@hoc.gr. The deadline is the 8th September 2017.

The first meeting of women sport executives entitled "Women in Action" was held with success at the premises of the HOC.
The Chairperson of the HOC “Women and Sport” Commission, Mrs. Xenia Argeitaki took the initiative and invited all women involved in sport to express their views and personal experience in order to enhance the position of women in sport.The event was attended by Olympic medalists, champions, members of the Sports Federations, the HOC President, Spyros Capralos and the Secretary General, Manolis Kolympadis.”

When the IOC announced the composition of its commissions in April this year, it appointed seven Young Change-Makers (formally Young Ambassadors) to give a greater voice to young people at the heart of the Olympic Movement.

Representing diverse backgrounds and cultures, six of these new IOC commission members are women, which further boosts the female representation on the IOC commissions.

Six of them have also been involved in the Young Change-Maker+ (YCM+)Programme, a  social entrepreneurship programme that invites YCM community to support them in delivering their own grassroots projects designed to make a real and positive impact in their community through sport.

Angeliki Kordali (31), a YCM from Greece who supported the young athletes of her delegation at the first YOG Singapore 2010 aims to put her PhD in wireless communication to use on the new Information and Technology Commission. “Digital, information and communication technologies play a significant role in many aspects of the Olympic Games and the Youth Olympic Games. In this IOC Commission I will bring my expertise in the field of electrical and computer engineering and especially on communications in order to provide a solid technical framework. I will also add my enthusiasm and passion for the Olympics!”

The future of Olympism will gather once more in Ancient Olympia, for the annual International Session for Young Participants that will take place from the 17th of June to the 1st of July, with 153 young participants from 88 different countries.

The International Session for Young Participants, with main subject: “Governance in Sport and the Olympic Movement” and special subject: “Ethics, Education and Governance in the Olympic Movement”, is organized by the International Olympic Academy for the 57th time and the participants of this Olympic “workshop” discover the history of the Olympic Movement, they are introduced into the timeless Olympic values and they realize the great significance of their implementation in today’s society.

The Opening Ceremony of the 57th International Session for Young Participants will take place on Sunday the 18th of June at 19.00 hrs on the hill of the Pnyx. The Deputy Minister of Culture and Sport, Mr Georgios Vasileiadis, will honor the ceremony with his presence and the President of the International Olympic Academy, Mr Michael Fysentzidis will declare the opening of the works of the Session.

The President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, Mr Spyros Capralos, will address the participants while the President of the International Olympic Committee, Dr Thomas Bach, will send a message.

During the Ceremony, Mr Ser Miang Ng, Member of the International Olympic Committee for Singapore, will be awarded the honorary distinction “Olympia” and the National Olympic Academy of the Republic of Korea will be awarded the honorary distinction “Athena”. Additionally, Mr Gordon Tang will be awarded with the honorary distinction “Athlon Megalis Choregias” for his support to the work of the IOA.

During the works in Ancient Olympia 12 lecturers will participate while the programme will include educational tours to archaeological sites.

- See more at: http://ioa.org.gr/the-opening-ceremony-of-the-57th-international-session...

With a vast array of actions and synergies, the Hellenic Olympic Committee will celebrate the Olympic Day, on Friday, June 23, sending a message to the country for greater involvement in sport.
The celebration of the Olympic Day takes place every year on June 23, the day of the foundation of the International Olympic Committee, in Paris, in 1894.
Olympic Day is nowadays developing into much more than a run or just a sports event. Based on the three pillars “move”, “learn” and “discover”, National Olympic Committees are deploying sports, cultural and educational activities which address everybody - regardless age, gender, social background or sporting ability. Thus everyone is given the opportunity to practice and get acquainted with Olympic values and new sports.
The HOC in collaboration with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation will organize a 6 km and 10 km races. The 10K race is scheduled to start at 20:40 from the Panathenaic Stadium, while the 6K race will follow 10 minutes after at 20:50. The finish line for both races will be the Stavros Niarchos Park on the coast. At the same time, a 1 km race will be held for Special Olympics athletes.
In addition, the Hellenic Olympic Academy (H.O.A.) will carry out sporting and cultural activities, in Ancient Olympia, in the center of the city, with the participation of children from the schools of the city, at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex, in cooperation with the summer camp “5 Rings” and the Olympic medalists Nikos Syranidis and Niki Bakoyanni. Moreover sports and cultural activities will also be held at the summer camp of the Swimming Club “Posidonas”.
Furthermore, on Monday, June 26, the H.O.A. in cooperation with the International Olympic Truce Center and through the successful “Respecting Diversity” educational programme, the HOC has planned actions for refugee children in Skaramangas camp with an experiential approach to Olympic sports and with the participation of Olympic medalists, champions and coaches.
Finally, the Olympic Museum of Thessaloniki will participate in the celebration of the Olympic Day with specific actions.

Thousands of people, men and women, young and older participated in the celebration of the Olympic Day, inviting people to include sport in everyday life. It was the first time that actions were held in three different cities of Greece, in Athens, Thessaloniki and Ancient Olympia. Participation surpassed every expectation in 11 actions organized by the Hellenic Olympic Committee, the Hellenic Olympic Academy and various foundations in 10 different regions.
In the framework of these actions, a message for the Olympic Day of the President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach was projected and commemorative hats as well as commemorative diplomas were given out to the people who participated in the celebrations. The SNF Run raised the most numerous participation. It was organized by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, under the auspices of the Hellenic Olympic Committee and over 5000 runners started from the Panathenaic Stadium and finished at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre (SNFCC). The Kids’ Athletics program was also held at the SNFCC. Children were taught by Olympic medalists and great champions.
People also showed great enthusiasm in various celebrations organized in Ancient Olympia by the municipality of Olympia. The celebrations were held in the presence of the HOC Secretary General Manolis Kolymbadis and the members of the HOC Fani Petralia and Giorgos Alikakos.
Extensive was also the participation in the COSMOGYM Festival & Contest, held at the Peristeri Indoor Hall on the day of the celebration of the Olympic Day. The Festival was held in the presence of the HOC member and President of the Hellenic Gymnastics Federation Thanassis Vassileiadis with the participation of 1100 athletes. President’s Capralos message was heard and the video message of the IOC President Thomas Bach was projected.
Thessaloniki was the third city where the Olympic Day was celebrated with the sport programme Kids Olympics. Kids Olympics, a simulation of Olympic sports, was held at the Olympic Museum of the city. In addition, the children of the Summer Camp "5 Rings" celebrated the Olympic day at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, under the guidance of the Olympic champions, Nikos Syranidis, Niki Bakoyannis and Olga Vasdeki, in the presence of the HOC member Yiannis Karras.
Approximately 100 children from 8 to 18 years old from the "Club of sportsmen of Nea Ionia" participated in activities at the mountain and the sea (climbing, mountaineering, swimming at sea and beach handball) in the region of Schinias and Parnitha. Finally, 52 pupils from the Summer Camp of the private school “Ekpedeftiki Anagennisi” experienced the sport of sailing as they visited the Kalamaki Naval Club with their physical education teachers. They got into different types of boats and got a first taste of this unique Olympic sport.

The celebrations for the Olympic Day in Greece were concluded on Monday, July 3, with activities which took place at the Skaramangas Refugee camp. The Hellenic Olympic Committee, the International Olympic Truce Center and the Hellenic Olympic Academy (HOA) made an interactive presentation of Olympic and Paralympic sports to children and teenagers aged 6–18 years, with the assistance of Olympic medalists, champions and coaches.

The event was attended by the Minister of Migration Policy, Ioannis Mouzalas. The children had the opportunity to create their own Olympic flags and paint the "Tree of Peace". At the end, commemorative diplomas were given out to all participants”.

The Hellenic Olympic Committee was awarded twice in the first Sports Marketing Awards in Greece.
The HOC President, Spyros Capralos and the Secretary General, Manolis Kolympadis received together the award for HOC's contribution in the greek sports. In addition, the HOC received the gold award in the Marketing Strategy category for the successful programme “Adopt an athlete on the way to Rio 2016” which secured the financial funding of more than 50 athletes during their preparation for the "Rio 2016" Olympic Games.
During the event, the HOC President presented the new project of the HOC entitled "Adopt an Athlete on the way to Tokyo 2020".

More than a million visitors have visited the Panathenaic Stadium - 1.031.723 visitors in total, 233.689 of which being pupils - since April 15, 2010, when the Stadium opened again its doors to the public, under the responsibility of the Hellenic Olympic Committee.
Numbers prove that the historic stadium, in which the first Modern Olympic Games were held in 1896, is one of the most popular touristic destinations in Athens. It offers the visitor the opportunity to learn the history of the Stadium and understand the contribution of Greece to the Olympic Games.
The visitors have the opportunity to wander in the Stadium and use the individual audio guide, available in 10 languages, while everyone interested can also visit the permanent exhibition with posters and Olympic torches of Modern Olympic Games. Outside the Panathenaic Stadium there is also a shop with commemorative gifts, to help keep the memory of the special experience of this visit.

The process of submitting media accreditation requests for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Flame Ceremonies has begun.
You can download the accreditation form, fill it and send it together with a passport photo at the mail: press.accreditation@hoc.gr.
The deadline for submitting requests is the 10th of October 2017.

At the beginning of summer of 2016 the International Olympic Committee, after an invitation of the President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee Spyros Capralos, financed, together with the municipality of Lesvos, the reconstruction of the stadium at the village Moria of Lesvos.
The stadium is used today for the training of the local teams of Lesvos and for the sports programmes for the refugees.
A delegation of the IOC and the HOC, headed by IOC member Mario Pescante, HOC President Spyros Capralos and the Olympic medalists in sailing in Rio 2016, Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis, is visiting Lesvos on Sunday October 1st.
A sports event will be led on Sunday morning at the port of Mytilene with a demonstration of sailing and with the participation of the sailing clubs of Lesvos and Olympic medalists Mantis and Kagialis. The delegation of the IOC and the HOC will visit the open refugee camp of Kara Tepe, Lesvos and will share out sports equipment to the children.
A visit at the stadium of Moria and a meeting with the President of the village and the members of the cultural center will follow.
“From the first moment, when the refugee crisis broke out, the President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach took initiatives as the Olympic movement fully understands the significance of the role of sport in the relieving the refugee crisis. During the IOC Session in Lima, Peru, the IOC President announced the launch of the Olympic Refugee Foundation, which will cooperate with the UN, and will aim at creating sports structures and programmes in areas where there is a refugee population, said the HOC President, Spyros Capralos, on the occasion of a visit to Lesvos and added: "We are pleased that the IOC is represented in Lesvos by its former Vice-President, Mario Pescante, who today has the important role of IOC’s permanent observer at the United Nations. We are very lucky, because Mr. Pescante being Italian, is well aware of the refugee crisis, as Italy and Greece are being particularly affected. In cooperation with the Municipality of Lesvos and the Mayor Spyros Galinos, we will discuss the possibility for Greece and Italy to develop programmes with the participation of the IOC and the newly founded Olympic Refugee Foundation, which will contribute to the relief of the impact of the crisis on both refugees and local communities."

The football field in Moria, a jewel for Lesvos, was restored with the financial support of the International Olympic Committee. The field was inspected by the IOC member Mario Pescante, the President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee Spyros Capralos, along with the Olympic medalists in sailing Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis, the Mayor of Lesvos Spyros Galinos and the Vice President of the Hellenic Sailing Federation Telis Adamopoulos. The floor is now covered with a synthetic carpet, while the old goalposts are replaced with new ones, so that refugees who are staying in the camp of Moria can practice and enjoy, whilst training and competing with the teams of the wider area.

The delegation had also visited the refugee camp of Kara Tepe, which is managed by the municipality of Lesvos. Sports equipment (t-shirts, balls, etc.) were given out to the children who are staying there. These children seemed to be particularly satisfied by the visit of the people of the sport and Olympic family. Mario Pescante who is a Permanent Observer of the IOC to the United Nations, was impressed by the refugee camp and the living conditions of the people. He played with the children and was photographed with them. Mr. Pescante and Mr. Capralos watched a sailing demonstration in the Port of Mytilene performed by young athletes of the Sailing Club of Mytilene. These young athletes had the opportunity to meet the two Olympic medalists, Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis and get photographed with them.

For the visit to the refugees in Lesvos President Capralos stated: First of all, we are very happy for the football field in Moria, which was financed by the International Olympic Committee, after a proposal of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, in response to the call of the Mayor of Lesvos Spyros Galinos for the restoration of the field. It is now a beautiful playground for the teams of neighboring villages, but also for refugees. I also saw an amazing hospitality center at Kara Tepe where refugees live with their children and I felt proud because our country, thanks to the actions of the Mayor of Lesvos, can host these people in excellent conditions. I must highlight that the refugee crisis is a huge issue that cannot be easily solved, however I believe that, like the HOC and the IOC that stand by the municipality of Lesvos for the refugees, Europe will also do its best although this is an issue mostly affecting the southern Europe”. Mario Pescante said: “The ambiance at the refugee camp is truly excellent. It is very important that people do visit this refugee camp so that they can witness the importance of helping people in need. In addition, my role as IOC Permanent Observer, is to stand by the local societies for their sacrifices during all this time. I am coming from Italy and I am well aware of the problem, as we also have Lampedusa. I must point out that Greece and Italy are all alone in this, as the rest of Europe has erected security walls and do not help as much as they should. I fully understand the feelings of the island residents and this is why we are here, to show our understanding”. Panayiotis Mantis said: "I am astounded by the efforts made by the residents and the local community for the refugees. We visited the refugee camp at Kara Tepe as well as the modern stadium in Moria and it seems that a lot of work has been done", while Pavlos Kagialis added:" I am impressed by the efforts made here for the refugees. The stadium is already in use. The efforts of the Mayor are exceptional and his efforts were completely worth it. Great things can happen when there is will and love”.

The Lighting Ceremony of the Olympic Flame for the Winter Olympics "PyeongChang 2018" will take place in Ancient Olympia, on the 24th of October, at 12.00 local time (CET+1) . The Torch Relay in Greek territory, will last seven days and the the Olympic Flame will be handed over to the Organizing Committee "PyeongChang 2018" Winter Olympic Games on the 31st of October, at the Panathenaic Stadium.

The 24-year old Apostolos Angelis, who has already secured his participation in the Winter Olympic Games of PyeongChang 2018 will be the first torchbearer at the Lighting Ceremony that will be held on October 24 in ancient Olympia. The Olympic Light will be lit at the temple of Hera directly from the sunrays, under the presence of the President of the Hellenic Republic Prokopios Pavlopoulos, the Prime Minister of South Korea Nak-Yon Lee, the President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach, the Deputy Minister for Sports Giorgos Vasiliadis, representatives of the Organizing Committee “PyeongChang 2018” and the new Plenary Session of the Hellenic Olympic Committee with the President Spyros Capralos.

“It is a great honor for me to be chosen as the first torchbearer for the Winter Olympic Games of 2018. It is truly a unique moment that I am looking forward to. I feel very proud and with a unique sense of happiness” says Apostolos Angelis. The Lighting Ceremony will start at 12 noon with Katerina Lehou, actress as High Priestess and Artemis Ignatiou as the choreographer. The symbol of Olympism, will cover 2.129klm on Greek territory and will arrive at the Acropolis on October 30. 505 torchbearers will participate and 36 welcome ceremonies will be held in 20 Municipalities in 8 days. The Handover ceremony to the Organizing Committee “PyeongChang 2018” will be held at the Panathenaic stadium on October 31 at 11 in the morning.

 ΤΗΕ FIRST TORCHBEARER

Apostolos Aggelis was born in June 24, 1993 in Ioannina, Greece. He is a cross country and biathlon athlete. He is 1.84 and weighs 76kg. He is an athlete of Metsovo SC, a club with a long tradition in winter sports, in Greece.

He has been a national champion in all categories and a Balkan champion. He speaks English and his hobbies are basketball and music. In 2014 he participated in the winter Olympic Games of Sochi.  

Aggelis has already qualified for the winter Olympic Games of PyeongChang while this is his second participation in a winter Olympics edition.   

PROGRAMME OF THE LIGHTING CEREMONY

11:45- Closing time for the VIP attendance

12:00 - Opening of the Ceremony

- Olympic Rings: a synthesis

- Olympic Anthem – Hoisting of the Olympic Flag

- National Anthem of South Korea – Hoisting of South Korea’s Flag

- National Anthem of Greece – Hoisting of the Greek Flag

The anthems are performed by the Children’s and Youth Choirs of Lavreotiki

and Markopoulo Municipalities

- “The Light of Olympia”, Takis Doxas’ poem recited by Mr. Yiannis Stankoglou

- Address by the Mayor of Ancient Olympia, Mr. Efthymios Kotzas

- Address by the President of the “PyeongChang” Organising Committee,

Mr. Lee Hee-beom

- Address by the President of the International Olympic Committee, Mr. Thomas Bach

- Address by the President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, Mr. Spyros Capralos

12:25 - Entry of the designated officials in the Temple of Hera

- Ritual of the Lighting Ceremony at the Temple of Hera

- Entry of the High Priestess and the Priestesses into the Ancient Stadium

with the Olympic Flame

 - Dance performance by the Priestesses

12:50 - Handing over of the Olympic Flame by the High Priestess to the first Torchbearer

- Departure of the first Torchbearer for the Pierre de Coubertin Monument

 - Opening of the Olympic Torch Relay