Sports in ancient Greece
Only free men from Greece were allowed to compete, and no city-state could wage war while the games were in progress. Competitions were held in a wide variety of disciplines, including the pentathlon, which included the javelin throw, long jump, running, discus throw, and wrestling.
Greece’s most famous athlete in 2021
Giannis Sina Ugo Antetokounmpo is a Greek-Nigerian professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks.
In 2011, Antetokounmpo played with the senior team of Filathlitikos in the semi-professional Greek B Basket League (Third Division) in the 2011–12 season.
In December 2012, days after turning 18, Antetokounmpo signed a four-year contract with Spanish club CAI Zaragoza,[32] which reportedly included NBA buyouts after each season. Several other big European clubs were interested in adding him, including Barcelona and Anadolu Efes.
On April 28, 2013, Antetokounmpo officially qualified for the 2013 NBA draft. He met his draft predictions as a first-round pick, being drafted 15th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks. On July 30, 2013, he signed his debut contract with the Bucks.
Antetokounmpo first represented Greece in July 2013 with the Greece national under-20 team at the 2013 FIBA European Under-20 Championship. He helped Greece reach fifth place overall.
In 2014, Antetokounmpo made his first appearance for the senior men’s national basketball team of Greece, helping Greece finish ninth overall in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
In 2021, Giannis Antetokounmpo triumphed in the vote for the best athlete of Greece, who together with the Milwaukee Bucks became the champion of the NBA league. The 27-year-old basketball player was named Finals MVP and All-Star Game MVP.
One of the Greek Olympians
Aristidis Akratopulos
Greek tennis player, participant in the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. Brother of Konstantinos Akratopulos.
Akratopulos won his match in the first round of the singles tournament by defeating Australian Teddy Flack. In the second round, he lost to his compatriot Konstandinos Paspatis. In the end, he finished ex-aequo fifth with two other riders.
In the doubles tournament, paired with his brother, he lost to later gold medalists Germany’s Friedrich Traun and Britain’s John Pius Boland. They took ex-aequo fourth place out of five starting pairs.
Konstantinos Akratopulos
Greek tennis player, participant of the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. Brother of Aristidis Akratopulos.
Akratopulos lost in the first round of the singles event to Dimitrios Kasdaglis of Greece, who later became a silver medalist. Akratopulos finished the tournament in fifth place tied with two other players.
In the doubles tournament, he was paired with his brother Aristidis. In the first round they were defeated by the later gold medalists pair John Pius Boland from Great Britain and Friedrich Traun from Germany. They finished the tournament ex aequo in fourth place out of five starting pairs.
Bambi Cholidis
Greek wrestler fighting in the classical style. Four-time Olympian. Bronze medalist in Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988. He was eliminated in the qualifying rounds in Montreal 1976 and Moscow 1980. He competed in the 52-57 kg category.
Eight-time World Cup participant, third in 1978 and 1986; fourth in 1985; fifth in 1977 and 1981; sixth in 1973 and 1982. He won three medals at the European Championships, silver in 1983 and 1986 and bronze in 1976. Champion of the Mediterranean Games in 1975 and 1979; second in 1975 and 1987 and fifth in 1983. Third in the World Cup in 1982. Winner of the World Military Championships in 1983 and the Super World Championship in 1985.
Alexandros Chrisafos
Greek swimmer, participant of the Games in Athens. He competed in the 100-meter freestyle swimming race at the first modern Olympic Games. The exact position he obtained is unknown. He ranked 3-6.
Christos Karipidis
A Greek footballer who plays as a defender. Karipidis started his professional football career with PAOK FC U-20 in 2000 and was promoted to the first team the following season. PAOK then loaned him to Kavala (2001–02) and Kerkira (2002–03). Then he returned to PAOK, where he stayed until 2006. In 2006 he was sold for £300,000 to Heart of Midlothian before moving to Omonia Nicosia in 2009. In the summer of 2012, he joined APOEL FC, from which he moved to Apollon Limassol after only one season. In 2014, he became a player of the Skoda Ksanti club.
Amiran Karndanof
Greek freestyle wrestler. Three-time Olympian. Sydney 2000 bronze medalist; fourth in Athens 2004 and sixteenth in Atlanta 1996. He competed in the 52–55 kg category.
Seven-time participant in the world championships; fourth in 1998; sixth in 2003. Vice-champion of Europe in 2001 and 2003 and bronze medalist in 1998 and 2006. Champion of the Mediterranean Games in 2001 and fourth in 2004. He won the gold medal at the Junior World Championships in 1994.
Tournament in Atlanta 1996
He lost to Uzbek Adhamjon Ochilov and American Lou Rosselli and was eliminated from the tournament.
Tournament in Sydney 2000
He won against Mongol Tümendemberlijn Dzüünbajan, Iranian Behnam Tajjebi and Moldavian Vitalie Railean. In the semi-finals he lost to Azeri Namiq Abdullayev and in the match for third place he defeated Belarusian Gierman Kontoyev.
Tournament in Athens 2004
He won against Turk Harun Doğan, Armenian Martin Berberyan and North Korean fighter O Song-Nam. In the semi-finals he lost to Russian Mawlet Batirov and in the match for third place to Japanese Chikara Tanabe.
Nikos Karypidis
Greek freestyle wrestler. Olympian from Mexico 1968, where he placed fourth in the category up to 63 kg.
N. Katrawas
Greek swimmer, participant in the 1896 Summer Olympics. In Athens, he competed in the 1,200 meters freestyle, but his result is unknown; it is only known that he did not win an Olympic medal.
Sotirios Panagiotopoulos
Greek wrestler fighting in both styles. Olympian from Helsinki 1952, where he was eliminated in the qualifying rounds in the category up to 57 kg, in the classic style. Bronze medalist at the 1951 Mediterranean Games, freestyle.
Famous Greek footballers
Sokratis Papastathopoulos
Commonly known as Sokratis, he is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Super League club Olympiacos. On January 25, 2021, Papastathopoulos joined Greek side Olympiacos on a two-and-a-half-year contract. On 21 April 2021, he scored his first goal with the club in a 1–0 home win over Asteras Tripolis.
Kostas Manolas
Greek footballer who plays as a defender for Arab club Sharjah FC. Manolas started his professional career at Trasivulos Filis. After the team’s relegation from the top league in the summer of 2009, he signed a 3-year contract with AEK Athens, after which he moved to Olympiakos SFP. In 2014, he became a player of AS Roma.
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Federation Cup representative
She was ranked No. 3 in the world by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), which she first achieved on March 21, 2022, making her the highest ranked Greek player in history alongside Stefanos Tsitsipas. Her career best doubles ranking is 169. 1st place in the world, achieved on September 9, 2019.
Niniejszy wpis opracowały: Kornelia Nastarowicz, Julia Kotas, Wiktoria Strzałka, Magda Jaruga, Kasia Rusinkiewicz, Kinga Pawlak, Oliwia Stankiewicz ze szkoły SMS-lo w Aleksandrowie Łódzkim, dnia 03.06.2023r.