The project ‘Together in Sport’, which is run by the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC), in cooperation with METAdrasi – project leader in Greece – and the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) implemented its first activities on site in summer 2021. 

The aim of the project is to bring young asylum seekers residing in Greece, in contact with a wide range of sports education and build social cohesion between them and local children through joint sport activities.

‘Together in Sport’ was launched in the city of Kavala, with the valuable contribution of the local Municipality. It was expanded to the city of Ioannina and recently to Athens. In Kavala and Ioannina, sport trainings are hosted in Kavala’s municipal sport facilities and in the Panepirotan National Athletic Center respectively. In Athens, upcoming sport activities will be hosted in sport facilities of Athens Municipality.

In the city of Ioannina, the participating children do track and field and participate in several sport activities, whereas in the city of Kavala children have done track and field and attended swimming classes both in open sea and in a swimming pool.

In parallel with regular sport trainings, several recreational, cultural and sport activities have been organized. Up to date, young asylum seekers have participated with great enthusiasm in football and hockey sport events at the Athens Olympic Stadium, rode bikes around the lake of Ioannina, attended friendly rugby games, visited the Athens Olympic Museum and played volleyball together with the girls academy of a local amateur sports club in the city of Kavala.  

In the coming months, the Hellenic Olympic Committee will be co-organizing visits to the Panathenaic Stadium, which hosted the first Modern Olympic Games, participation in friendly matches and games, introduction to popular Olympic sports such as judo, taekwondo and wresting and less popular ones like badminton and fencing. Our objective is to create an environment that is favorable to encouragement, stimulation and creativity and also entertain the children and teach them values such as tolerance, respect and solidarity. These are values that are important on and off the pitch.

This is the mission of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, to encourage love for sports and respect for the spirit of sportsmanship among the young, alongside with the promotion and safeguarding of the Olympic Movement.

‘Together in Sport’ is co-funded by the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) and the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) of the European Union and will run until June 30th 2022.