International Ski Federation (FIS) President Gian-Franco Kasper has been honoured by the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC).

The official is currently in Greece for the FIS Congress in Costa Navarino, where he is due to be reelected.

Kasper, a member of the International Olympic Committee Executive Board and the President of the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations, was greeted by HOC President Spyros Capralos.

He was presented with an award to recognise "his longstanding contribution to the Olympic Movement and sport".

Vassilis Katsoras, a member of the HOC Plenary Session, and Hellenic Ski Federation President Dimosthenis Girousis were also in attendance.

Seventy-four-year-old Swiss Kasper was first elected as FIS President in 1998.

The Olympic Channel, the over-the-top (OTT) global media destination where fans can discover, engage and share in the power of sport and the excitement of the Olympic Games all year round, will present more than 205 hours of LIVE online coverage of 2018 Mediterranean Games. Taking place in Tarragona, Spain from 22 June to 1 July, LIVE streaming coverage will begin on 23 June and will be available worldwide outside of Spain at olympicchannel.com and its mobile apps for Android and iOS.

During 10 days of competition, the XVIII Mediterranean Games Tarragona 2018 will feature 3,622 athletes competing across 33 sport disciplines. This year’s event will present a record number of athlete entries from 26 different countries with the highest delegations coming from Italy (419), host country Spain (396), Turkey (365) and France (310).

Held in 16 municipalities in and around the territory of Tarragona, the 2018 Mediterranean Games are also expected to host more than 1,000 international judges, 1,000 journalists, 3,500 volunteers and 150,000 spectators.

The President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr Prokopios Pavlopoulos, declared at the Megaron Athens Concert Hall the Opening of the works of the 58th International Session for Young Participants that will take place in Ancient Olympia until June 30.

The main subject of the Session is: “The Athlete as a Role Model” and its special subject is: “Challenges an Olympic Athlete faces as a role model”. 187 young men and women from 90 countries will attend the works of the Session.

The Opening Ceremony was attended by the Deputy Minister of Culture and Sport, Mr Georgios Vasileiadis, the President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, Mr Spyros Capralos and the Secretary General, Mr Manolis Kolympadis, the President and CEO of the PyeongChang Organising Committee for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Mr Hee-beom LEE, the IOC Honorary Member, Mr Lambis Nikolaou, the Parliament Member for ‘Nea Dimocratia’, Mrs Dora Bakoyiannis, members of the HOC Executive Board and other eminent personalities from the sports, political and cultural world.

The IOA President, Mr Isidoros Kouvelos mentioned in his address: “The role of the International Olympic Academy through the Olympic Movement is to preserve and empower Olympic Education and to disseminate by any appropriate action the Values and Ideals of Olympism, so as not to be diverted from its fundamental Principles. That is what Pierre de Coubertin envisioned, that is the task assigned to us by the International Olympic Committee and that is what we are attempting methodically to implement.

Each year more than one thousand people: pupils, teachers and professors, scientists and speakers, athletes and coaches, members of the broader Olympic family cross the threshold of the IOA in Ancient Olympia and make their own contribution to what has been built throughout these years. Everyone at the IOA is very proud to work in harmony and with unity in order to disseminate Olympic Values. The International Olympic Committee and our proud sponsors, as they have chosen to be called, support our work and we would like to warmly thank them for their contribution to our actions”.
The Deputy Minister of Culture and Sport, Mr Georgios Vasileiadis, pointed out: “Today, in this age of social media, it is exceptionally easy for every act and piece of information to reach an interested party directly. It is now usual for the activities of people like elite athletes to be the focus of much attention on a global scale; a fact which constitutes a new challenge in the effort to appear consistent in the accomplishment of this obligation they have. Besides, Olympism is not only sport and competition, but also a philosophy of life, a system of values, with the example of athletes contributing to the endeavor for a better world through their behaviour. The increasing dynamics of the sports movement globally make it abundantly clear that sport is a means for the development of the human personality. The aim for us all, political leaders as well as all those who are part of the sports construct, is the improvement of conditions and achievement of a responsible and consistent sports policy to deal with sport as a living organism and make the most of its human capital at every level”.

The President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, Mr Spyros Capralos, mentioned in his address: “The conclusions you are invited to reach should not be superficial; nor are they easy. Nevertheless, what you need to know is that Baron Pierre de Coubertin himself had done the most significant and pioneering work to this direction. He defined Olympism as a philosophy of life, with major emphasis on the educational value of the good example and the respect of universal ethical principles. Thus, we could claim that he laid the moral foundation for the attitudes and behaviours to be adopted on the part of the athletes, the role models.

In the next days, at the very place where the Olympic Games were born, you will undertake a most significant task: that of promoting the Olympic values, so as to shape a better future, with respect to our fellow- human beings, with faith to peace and democracy.

Feel the aura of the ancient Greeks, elaborate on the Olympic legacy and live the experience! Thus, at the end of the Session, you will be able to convey to the Olympic family a message of hope and optimism, a message of support to the athletes, as well as the message of regarding the athletes as role models for society.”

The message of the IOC President, Dr Thomas Bach, was read by the IOA Honorary Member, Mr Lambis Nikolaou.

During the ceremony, the IOA honorary distinction “Delphi” was awarded to Mr Barry Maister, ONZM, IOC member for New Zealand, while the honorary distinction “Athena” was awarded to the National Olympic Academy of Japan. The honorary distinction “Athina” was awarded to Prof. Stephen G. Miller, Former President of the Society for the revival of the Nemean Games, Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, USA, Former Director of the Nemean Excavations, Former Director, American School of Classical Studies at Athens. Finally, the honorary distinction “Olympia” was awarded to Prof. Dr Ingomar Weiler, Professor Emeritus at KarlFranzens University, Graz, Austria.

The musical parts of the ceremony were interpreted by the Greek National Opera’s Children’s Chorus, accompanied by the pianist Mrs Irene Antoniadou, under the direction of Ms Konstantina Pitsiakou. The adaptation of the Olympic anthem and of the National Anthem of Greece for the children’s chorus was made by Mr Giannis Belonis.

The Olympic Day 2018 was celebrated in Athens, Thessaloniki and Ancient Olympia, Greece with the participation of thousands of citizens.
In Athens, the Hellenic Olympic Committee, the National Olympic Academy and the Athanasios K. Laskaridis Public Benefit Foundation in the framework of the Olympic Day 2018 celebrated an event entitled "A Great Sea, Environment - Sports - Volunteerism" at the Panathenaic Stadium.
The Olympic Day was also celebrated in Thessaloniki, in collaboration with the Olympic Museum – Protergia, the Hellenic Olympic Committee and the National Olympic Academy, with a 5 km race. Olympians, World Champions, athletes and thousands of people took part in the event.
In Ancient Olympia, hundreds of people took part in sports and artistic events to celebrate the Olympic Games and the Olympic Day. The events began with the 3rd Vikelios Road, with the participation of hundreds of people of all ages and young people from all over the world attending the 58th Session for Young Participants of the International Olympic Academy. The event was also attended by two Olympians, the Greek weightlifter Giorgos Tzelilis and the Kenyan Olympic champion in athletics Eliud Kipchoge.

The President of the International Handball Federation Dr. Hassan Mustafa, visited the Hellenic Olympic Committee and was welcomed by the HOC President Spyros Capralos, the First Vice President Stelios Angeloudis, the Secretary General Manolis Kolympadis and the HOC member and the Chairman of the Hellenic Olympic Academy Giorgos Alikakos.
The HOC President honored Dr. Hassan Mustafa for his contribution to the Olympic Movement and his support for the Greek Handball while the IHF President offered him a banner and a pin of the International Handball Federation.
During the meeting they also discussed issues about the World Junior Championship in 2021. Spyros Capralos thanked Dr. Hassan Mustafa for his support in the Greek Handball and Beach Handball, and both recalled the excellent collaboration between the HOC and the IHF at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
The IHF President among other said that Greece is one of the few countries to hold two World Championships in a few years and that "we all have to work in the same direction."

It is in the midst of mourning due to the tragedy which hit Greece, that the handover ceremony for the Youth Olympic Games of “Buenos Aires 2018” took place at the Panathenaic Stadium. The Hellenic Olympic Committee modified the ritual, cancelled the dance of the Priestesses and did only what was strictly necessary in order to conclude the ceremony. A minute of silence was held in memory of the victims from the devastating fires that hit Attica. The Flame was handed over to Gerardo Werthein, President of the Organizing Committee of Buenos Aires 2018 and IOC member by the President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee Spyros Capralos.

Xanthi Georgiou was the new High Priestess and Artemis Ignatiou was the choreographer. In his short speech, the HOC President Spyros Capralos mentioned: “In the last hours, an untold tragedy with the loss of human lives has hit our country. This is why I want to apologize for changing today’s ceremony due to the situation in our country. Mourning is deep and the ceremony could not but be affected. We would like to thank you, our friends from Argentina, for your presence here and I want to wish you on behalf of all Greek people all the best for the success of the Youth Olympic Games. May the Flame carry the passion and the dreams of the young people, before lighting the cauldron in the Olympic Stadium in Buenos Aires. Let the Games become a healthy pattern for young people all around the world and the hope for a better future”.

On behalf of the Organizing Committee “Buenos Aires 2018” Gerardo Werthein stressed: “I wish to express to the Greeks my condolences, on behalf of the IOC, the Olympic movement and the people of Argentina, for the tragic loss of lives from the fires. We are standing by you on these difficult times. It is with great joy that we are gathered in this historic stadium to steep in traditions from the past to celebrate the Youth Olympic Games of the future. Buenos Aires 2018 has started today with the flame lighting. With pride, we will bring it to the south of the globe and, from there, we will enlighten the world with the inspiring message of Olympism and its values. We will carry the Youth Olympic Flame across thousands of kilometers of Argentina΄s geography. Buenos Aires 2018 will be the first Olympic competition with gender equality. Thanks to our friends from the IOC, the International Federations and the National Olympic Committees, the third edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games will make history for closing the gender gap.”

Danka Bartenkova, member of the IOC Coordination Commission for the Youth Olympic Games “Buenos Aires 2018” and Vice-Chair of the IOC Athletes Commission said: It is a great pleasure for me to represent today the International Olympic Committee and convey the special thanks of President Thomas Bach. Unfortunately, the tragic events in Greece have affected us all and our hearts are here with you. The Flame, a symbol of peace, today is a symbol of hope, not only for supporting Greece to get over this tragedy, but also for young people around the world. I hope the Flame and its journey will inspire young athletes, young people and sports fans”. The “Young Change-Maker” for the Youth Olympic Games Georgios Margaritis and the Argentinian cycling champion Valentina Munoz also addressed the audience. Before handing over the Flame, a Torch Relay was held in the Panathenaic Stadium, with the Greek taekwondo champion Giorgos Ioannou as the first Torchbearer and the Greek rhythmic gymnastics champion Ioanna Magopoulou as the last. Valenina Munoz and Yoel Vargas, both Argentinian cycling champions, also carried the Flame.

The Hellenic Olympic Committee, the Hellenic Olympic Academy, the International Olympic Truce Center and “Connect Athens” celebrated the International Day of Peace, at the Panathenaic Stadium.

The events began in the morning, with school students taking part in games and painting for peace, with the assistance of Olympic and World Champions, such as Virginia Kravarioti, Dimitris Kafatos and Dimitris Miteloudis. Musical and dance events followed with the participation of the Loutraki Philharmonic Orchestra.

The celebrations culminated at 20h00 when all participants symbolically lit a candle, sending a message that peace is not and should not be an elusive dream.

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Click below for the ATR Tender Invitation and the Tokyo 2020 Ticket Sales Agreement:

The Monaco-based, neutral organization, under the high patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, has traditionally held its annual Forum at home. The shift of venue to the shores of Greece’s Aegean Sea was a welcome and inspiring change. 

Hellenic national Olympic committee president Spyros Capralos called the event a success. 

“I believe that the Olympic ideals through these six hours of seminar were passed on to many people,” Capralos tells Around the Rings during an interview in the ancient stadium.

“There has been excellent attendance – many ministers from regional countries were here and they participated and contributed with what they are doing in their countries,” the Greek NOC leader said. “They can be the best ambassadors of Peace and Sport.”

The theme of the one-day regional forum – a collaboration between Peace and Sport and the South Aegean region of Greece – held on Oct. 18 was “Societies in Motion: Rising up through Sport.” Attendees included international organizations, NGOs, sport leaders, government officials, academia, Champions for Peace athletes and others seeking to maximize the use of sport for positive social change.

The Peace and Sport Awards concluded the Forum. Eight international and regional organizations and individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to peace, dialogue and social change in the world through sport were honored.

Capralos also informed ATR that recent economic improvements in Greece have positively affected the Greek NOC and its athletes.
“After the initial troubles that we had, now it's calm waters – everything is functioning well,” Capralos said. “We’re trying to assist the athletes on the road to Tokyo 2020.

“The new program ‘Adopt an Athlete On the Way to Tokyo’ is on. We’ve managed to cover all our athletes for medical and also we’re trying to find specific sponsors to help them get their qualifications.”

Capralos noted that all athlete funding is private through the efforts of the Greek NOC.

He also says five Greek athletes have already qualified for Tokyo 2020 – four in sailing, and Rio 2016 shooting gold medalist Anna Korakaki. 

Capralos proudly noted that Greece won its first-ever Youth Olympic Games gold medals in Buenos Aires, with top of the podium finishes in rowing, sailing and athletics.

The International Seminar entitled “The Mediterranean Games for Peace and Social Development”, organized by the Olympic Committee of Portugal (COP), was held in Paço de Arco, Lisbon, with the participation of 17 National Olympic Committees, members of the International Committee of the Mediterranean Games.

Topics such as education and social development in the best interest of the athletes and the Games, ways to combine high-level sport with dual-career studies, Olympic education and social inclusion through sport were discussed during the Seminar and there was also a first evaluation of the Mediterranean Games of Tarragona (2018).

At the opening speech of the Seminar, José Manuel Constantino, COP President, pointed out that “this event is an opportunity to consolidate Portugal’s presence within the Mediterranean family and help expand knowledge on the Mediterranean by overcoming natural barriers”.

This year, the Portuguese team with more than 200 athletes participated for the first time in the Mediterranean Games of Tarragona, outlined the ICMG President Amar Addadi at the Opening Ceremony. Mr. Addadi highlighted the success of the Tarragona Games and made special reference to the future of the Mediterranean Games.

Marwan Maghur, member of the ICMG Executive Committee, pointed out the importance of gender equality, recalling to the participants that in the Games of Tunis 1967 there were only 38 female athletes while in Tarragona there were 1468, including 221 coming from the Arab countries. “There is still a lot of work to be done, as some countries did not include any female athletes in their teams at this last edition of the Games,” concluded Marwan Maghur.

The Executive Director of the Mediterranean Games 2018 and President of the ICMG Technical Committee, Victor Sánchez, presented a comprehensive overview of the preparation and organization of the Games, highlighting that in Tarragona the program of competitions increased from 19 to 31 sports! He also described the multi-faceted organizational and financial aspects of the Games.

Mr. Sánchez expressed satisfaction with the fact that the ICMG has now 26 members, and concluded by saying that “our Games can contribute to the creation of a better world”.

Dual Career was presented by Massimiliano Montanari, Executive Director of “Save the Dream”, and Ricardo Bendito, NOC Portugal Athletes’ Commission Advisor, who also presented the next Dual Career projects. They were followed by Rita Nunes and Joaquim Videira from the Research and Project Department of the NOC of Portugal, who presented the COP’s project on Olympic Education.

Maria Machado, Project Manager, and Marwan Maghur, analyzed the role of Sport in social and development policies and the work that needs to be done for the support and social inclusion of refugees through Sport.

A thorough analysis of the organization of the Mediterranean Games of Tarragona was made by Mariona Casals, Director of Finance and Human Resources, and by Eros Bologna, Secretary General of the Olympic Committee of San Marino.

The Seminar was completed with a presentation of the Mediterranean Beach Games by Stratos Karetos, member of the ICMG Technical Commission.

On Thursday, December 6th, the President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Lord Sebastian Coe, visited the Panathenaic Stadium.

At the Stadium, Mr. Coe was welcomed by the HOC General Secretary Manolis Kolimpadis and the members of SEGAS and was offered a guided tour to the premises of the Panathenaic Stadium. Mr. Coe was accompanied by European Athletics President Svein Arne Hansen.

The Greek tennis champion Alexandros Caldwell was the last athlete to receive the financial aid offered by the Olympic family, through the Hellenic Olympic Committee and its President Spyros Capralos to those affected by the devastating wildfires that hit Attica, Greece last summer.

A total of 14 people and three sports clubs shared the amount of 150,000 euros donated by the International Olympic Committee, the European Olympic Committees and the Association of National Olympic Committees as a means of helping athletes hit by fires and repairing damages to athletic sites in fire-stricken areas.

The HOC President Spyros Capralos said: "I wish to thank the IOC President Thomas Bach and all our friends in the Olympic family, who have shown a great interest in those who lost their loved ones and their homes in the terrible fires. Today we have completed the process for financial assistance to the athletes and sports clubs in order to heal wounds faster. However, we keep on praying for those who have tragically lost their lives in this untold tragedy that struck our country. "

The HOC Annual Awards Ceremony was held with great success in the presence of H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic Mr Prokopios Pavlopoulos, many Olympic medalists and champions as well as various prominent figures of the sports world and politics. The athletes that were honored along with their trainers for the gold medals they won in the European and World Championships of 2018 were Lefteris Petrounias, Anna Korakaki, Eleni Hatziliadou, Katerina Stefanidi, Miltos Tentoglou and Voula Papachristou. The athletes who won medals in the Youth Olympic Games “Buenos Aires 2018”, Elina Tzengko, Christina Bourbou and Maria Kridou, Alexandros Kalpogiannakis, Savvas Thomoglou, Fani Tzeli, Olga Fiaska and Antonia Sakellaridou were also honored. Anna Korakaki, Vyron Kokkalanis, Maria Bozi and Rafailina Klonaridou and Vasileia Karahaliou were honored for securing quota places for the “TOKYO 2020” Olympic Games.

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The ceremony was also attended by the President of the European Olympic Committees Janez Kocijančič, who honored the President of the Hellenic Republic Mr Prokopios Pavlopoulos and the President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee Spyros Capralos. President Janez Kocijančič and the Secretary General of the European Olympic Committees Mr Raffaele Pagnozzi received awards by Spyros Capralos and the HOC Secretary General Manolis Kolympadis. The IOC Trophy 2018 – “Olympism in Action” was awarded to Dr Stefanos Handakas, who secured the medical support programme for the athletes and for his contribution to sport and Olympism. The “Dimitrios Vikelas Trophy 2018” of the Hellenic Olympic Committee was awarded to the Olympic champion Voula Patoulidou and to Ioannis Papadogiannakis, former HOC Vice President and Chef de Mission of the Greek team in four Olympic Games. Vassiliki Millousi, champion in gymnastics was honored upon her retirement from the active involvement in top-level competition. The President of the International Committee of Mediterranean Games Amar Addadi and the Secretary General Iakovos Filippousis also attended the ceremony.

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The President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee said in his speech: “We bade farewell to 2018 with great satisfaction and pride, as the year was concluded for our country with 125 medals in World and European championships in all categories, a strong proof that our athletes are the best ambassador of Greece. Today, we have the honor to have here with us the President of the European Olympic Committees Mr Janez Kocijancic and the Secretary General Mr Raffaele Pagnozzi. The IOC and the European Olympic Committees, deeply concerned for the wildfires that hit Greece last summer, offered 150.000$ to athletes and sport infrastructure who suffered from them. I want to wholeheartedly thank them for this important gesture, which shows solidarity to our country and to the Hellenic Olympic Committee. I want to thank in particular H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic who is honoring us once again with his presence here tonight, proving his great support for the sports youth of the country honored here today.”

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The President of the European Olympic Committees Janez Kocijančič said among other things: "We are delighted to be here in the annual awards ceremony of the Hellenic Olympic Committee and proud to be at the cradle of the Olympic values and ideals. Unfortunately not everything is ideal as there is a development of commercial values that are pressing out the sport values, the sport ideals and we all need to struggle united for the ethics of sport. It is one of the rare moments in 120 years that there is no IOC member for Greece which from my point of you is an embarrassment and a shame and this problem has to be resolved".

Applications for media accreditation are now being accepted for the 2nd European Games held in Minsk on 21-30 June 2019.

To apply for a media accreditation for the 2nd European Games, please follow this link: https://accreditation-public.gms-minsk2019.by/press/registration and fill in the relevant fields of the system.

Once access the MINSK2019 Online Accreditation Platform, media representatives will also find important information about the accommodation, facilities and services that will be available to press during the Games, etc.

The deadline to apply is 28 February 2019, and no further application will be accepted after that date.