H.O.C.

Dear Friends, 

After two difficult years, sport has finally returned to normality, sending a resounding message of strength and solidarity around the world and giving us the thrills and spectacle that the pandemic has deprived us of. 

At the start of 2022, Beijing made history as the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics. Of course, Greece was present at the 24th edition of the Winter Olympic Games “Beijing 2022”, continuing the uninterrupted presence of our country at the Winter Olympic Games. 

the year 2022 was an exciting year for Greek sports, as we witnessed the great moments that our athletes gave us in the most important sporting events, both at world and European level, with a harvest of 62 medals! 

The Hellenic Olympic Committee continues to provide its athletes with the necessary support to confidently face the challenges of modern reality. For the first time, we are giving scholarships to the athletes who won medals in the World and European Championships as well as in the Mediterranean Games, while the “Adopt an Athlete on the Road to Paris” program continues successfully. We are working towards a more sustainable future for Sport. We take action on issues such as gender equality, the professional rehabilitation of top level athletes, the integration of refugees and the dissemination of Olympic education. 

We are aware of the questions related to sustainable development. That is why we have decided to publish for the first time our annual edition in a digital format, contributing and working in a joint effort to protect the planet and save energy.   

As we take stock of the wonderful sporting year that has just passed, we look forward with excitement to 2023. The coming year is expected to be rich in sporting events. The calendar includes the 3rd Edition of the European Games in Kraków-Małopolska where several qualifications for Paris will be determined, two EYOFs in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy and Maribor, Slovenia, the Mediterranean Beach Games in Crete and the ANOC World Beach Games in Bali Indonesia. 

Finally, we are now actively entering the road to Paris 2024 with many expectations and dreams for a brilliant participation in the 33rd Summer Olympic Games. The Games that are returning to Europe and that the whole planet is eagerly awaiting! 

Spyros I. Capralos

President, Hellenic Olympic Committee

IOC Members

President, European Olympic Committees

The mission of the HOC is to oversee and act to ensure the development, promotion and safeguarding of the Olympic Movement, the spirit of fair play and out-of-school physical activity, in accordance with the principles of the Olympic Ideal and the traditions of the Hellenic sport. The HOC’s role is: To supervise the Olympic Sports and cooperate with the State as well as with the public and private bodies for the promotion of healthy sport policies. To encourage love for sports and respect for the spirit of sportsmanship among the young. To organise in cooperation with the National Federations the Olympic preparation of athletes. To proceed, on its sole responsibility, to the final selection of athletes who will represent Greece at the Olympic and Mediterranean Games.

Regarding the selection of athletes who represent Greece, the decision of the HOC with Ref. No. 40/15-12-1987, was a landmark. Following the proposal of Mr. Ioannis Papadogiannakis, the HOC decided the implementation of a coordinated programme of Olympic Preparation and set precise criteria for the athletes who would participate to the Seoul Olympic Games. For the first time are set criteria more strict that those of the International Federations. Despite the initial protests of the National Federations, the correctness of that decision was proved with the later success of the Greek athletes. The same issue had been brought up for discussion in 1978, by then HOC Secretary General, Nikos Filaretos, who had proposed a system of “5 Olympic stages” – implemented with great success by the Belgian Olympic Committee for the athletes of its Olympic preparation – based on criteria set by the International Olympic Committee. The HOC administers, manages and sees to the maintenance of its facilities under its jurisdiction such as: the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens and the Olympic Swimming Center in the centre of Athens, the neoclassical building of Kapsali Str, Kolonaki (HOC headquarters until 1998), including all facilities therein and appurtenances thereto as well as all surrounding public premises, the International Olympic Academy, the Olympic Museum in Ancient Olympia and the site of the Marathon start. The HOC is also represented on the board of directors of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex (OAKA). The HOC is also solely responsible for the Lighting and Hand over ceremonies for the Summer and Winter Olympic Games as well as for the correct interpretation and implementation of the articles of the Olympic charter. In addition, the HOC can make suggestions to the IOC regarding the Olympic movement and the organising of Olympic Games in general. The HOC is also charged with selecting the candidate city to host the Olympic or Mediterranean Games. Therefore, it submitted the candidature of the city of Athens for the Olympic Games of 1996 and the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, on the 15th of December 1995. The HOC takes action to ensure the writing, publication and distribution of special editions aiming at the development and promotion of the Olympic Idea and the history of Olympism, out-of-school physical education and sport in general; it also takes action to ensure that HOC information material and all sort of material in print be published and circulated in order to help fulfil the mission of the International Olympic Academy. Finally, the HOC recommends to the Minister responsible for sport issues and supervisor of the HOC, actions that should be taken for the achievement of its goals. According to the new statutes of the HOC, also approved by the IOC, the Committee is administered by: (a) The Plenary Session which includes necessarily (ex-officio) the IOC members for Greece (permanent members of the HOC), the representative of the National Federations of Olympic sports, an active male athlete or former male athlete and an active female athlete or former female athlete that have participated at least one time in Olympic Games (in case a former male or female athlete is elected, he/she should have participated at least once in the last three Olympic Games prior to the day of their election) and two eminent personalities (with contribution to sports and the dissemination of the Olympic Spirit). (b) The Executive Committee which is composed by five (5) members. By right its members are: the HOC President, the IOC members for Greece, the A’ Vice President, the Secretary General and the Treasurer. It should also be noted that the participation of the abovementioned members is realised in one of the abovementioned capacities, while the Plenary Session elects from its members the rest of the E.C. members until they reach the number of 5. The HOC also comprises the following Commissions: Olympic Preparation Commission, Olympic Torch Relay Commission, Athletes Commission, Gender Equality Commission, Marketing Commission, Ethics Commission, Sports and Environment Commission and the National Olympic Academy. The HOC offices, as well as the International Olympic Academy’s offices are situated in Halandri, Athens, at a street, which – following HOC’s request to the Municipality of Halandri – was renamed to Dimitriou Vikela Ave. in honour of Dimitrios Vikelas, reviver of the Olympic Games and first IOC President.

The H.O.C. has as its statutory mission:

a) To oversee and act to ensure the development, furtherance and safeguarding of the Olympic Movement, sport, the spirit of sportsmanship and out-of-school physical education, within the scope of the principles of the Olympic Idea and the traditions of Hellenic Sport; to exercise supervision on the Olympic disciplines;

b) To see to it that the rules of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Olympic Charter are properly interpreted and correctly applied;

c) To disseminate love for sport and respect for the spirit of sportsmanship among the young;

d) To organize, in liaison with the proper National Federations, the preparation of athletes and make, under its sole responsibility, the final selection of athletes who are to represent Greece at an Olympic or Mediterranean Games competition, as well as at such continental and transcontinental competitions as are held under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee;

The history of the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) is strongly connected to the history of the revival of the Olympic Games. The HOC was founded in Athens, November 24th 1894 (according to the Julian calendar), with first President Crown Prince Constantine. Its first session was held on the same day with the subject of the organizing of the first Modern Olympic Games, which were finally held in 1896 in Athens from March 25th till April 3rd, in the newly restored Panathenian Stadium. The restoration was achieved thanks to the donation of 920.000 gold drachmas (huge amount at the time) of the magnanimous Georgios Averoff. It should be noted that since its foundation and until the year 2000, the name of the HOC in Greek, had been Committee for the Organizing of the Olympic Games as the purpose of its foundation was the organizing of the first International Olympic Games.