2024-07-15 07:04:18
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Antigoni Drisbioti will be the flag bearers of the Greek delegation at the Olympic Games in Paris.
The decision for Giannis Antetokounmpo was unanimous, while the walking champion was chosen after a vote.
Maria Sakkari, Evangelia Plataniotis and Margarita Pleuritou were also candidates.
Following the protocol, the Hellenic Olympic Committee, prior to the meeting, contacted Olympic medalists, but both Miltos Tedoglou and Katerina Stefanidis asked not to be named as flag bearers in order not to change their training schedule.
The Hellenic Olympic Committee also took into account the schedule of the sportsmen and women competing the next day, in order not to suffer before their games.
The president of the EOE Spyros Kapralos said after the vote: “From the beginning we proposed together with the head of Mission Mr. Petros Synadinos that there should be two of our flag bearers at the Olympic Games. There was a great debate whether it should be one or two and finally the International Olympic Committee’s mandate for two flag bearers was followed, following the spirit of the times and respecting the effort for gender equality.”
“In Giannis there was unanimity, but in the girls, a vote was taken between particularly worthy champions who have honored Greece, as the democratic process dictates. Finally Antigone was chosen and I want to congratulate both her and Giannis for their final selection. I am sure that they will lift our country high. I would also like to congratulate the three other female champions who participated in the voting,” he added.
John Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo was born in Athens on December 6, 1994. The Greek international basketball player, 2.11 tall, started his career as a player for Philathletikos. In 2013, he was selected in the NBA Draft at position 15 by the Milwaukee Bucks, where he is still playing today. He developed into one of the top players of the NBA and the Greek National Team where he has more than 49 appearances.
In 2017, he became the first player in NBA history to finish in the top 20 in all five statistical categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks). In the same year, he was named the most improved player and participated for the first time in an “all star” game with the top players of the NBA. In total, he has participated in the All-Star Game 6 times.
In 2019 and 2020, the Bucks’ big leader was named NBA MVP. In 2021, Giannis, “The Greek Freak”, as he is called in his team, won the NBA title for the first time with the Bucks after 50 years, while winning the MVP award of the finals. He has been included in the anniversary selection of the 75 best players in NBA history.
Antigone Drisbiotis
Antigoni Drisbioti was born in Karditsa on March 21, 1984. She lived and trained there until 2022. For the last two years, she has been dividing her time between Greece and Australia. He has competed with the National Team in international competitions of all categories. For a long time he had stopped walking and competing, but as it turned out it was a simple pause, as he came back stronger and the successes started coming one after the other.
He has participated in two Olympic Games (2016, 2021), in World and European championships. She was “bronze” in 2013 at the Mediterranean Games, won the Gold medal at the European Team Championships (2021) and the silver medal in the team standings at both the World (2022) and European Team Championships (2021), while in 2021 she was eighth in the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Undoubtedly her year was 2022, after she won two gold medals (20 km and 35 km walk) at the European Championships in Munich, achieving something that no Greek sportsman or sportswoman had done until now. Earlier in the season she was fourth at the Oregon Worlds.
In addition, Antigone is a graduate of the Gymnastics Academy of the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Science and is currently doing postgraduate studies in Sports Management for the Disabled at the University of Peloponnese.
The Greek standard bearers
1908 Nikolaos Georgantas (Athletics)
1912 Konstantinos Tsiklitiras (Athletics)
1920 Vasilis Zarkadis (Fencing)
1924 Christos Vrettos (Athletics)
1928 Antonis Kariophyllis (Athletics)
1932 Christos Mantikas (Athletics)
1936 Ioannis Seraidaris (Athletics)
1948 Giorgos Kalambokidis (Sailing)
1952 Nikos Syllas (Athletics)
1956 George Roubanis (Athletics)
1960 Constantine (then Crown Prince) (Sailing)
1964 George Marsellos (Athletics)
1968 Christos Papanikolaou (Athletics)
1972 Christos Papanikolaou (Athletics)
1976 Vasilis Papageorgopoulos (Athletics)
1980 Ilias Hatzipavlis (Sailing)
1984 Stelios Mygiakis (Wrestling)
1988 Babis Holidis (Wrestling)
1992 Lambros Papakostas (Athletics)
1996 Pyrros Dimas (Weightlifting)
2000 Nikos Kaklamanakis (Sailing)
2004 Pyrros Dimas (Weightlifting)
2008 Ilias Iliadis (Judo)
2012 Alexandros Nikolaidis (Taekwondo)
2016 Sofia Bekatorou (Sailing)
2021 Anna Korakaki (Shooting) and Lefteris Petrounias (Gymnastics)
Athletics is the sport with the most flag bearers, with 13 athletes holding the flag. This is followed by sailing with five, wrestling and weightlifting with two, fencing, judo, taekwondo, gymnastics and shooting with one.
Moments after the unanimous decision of the EOE members for the Greek NBA superstar, the “Greek Freak” went ahead with a simple post uploading some of the best moments from the 2024 Pre-Olympic Tournament in SEF, writing “Hellas” and prefacing the Greek colors ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris.
Source kathimerini.gr
Spyridoula Spanea