Greek aquatic sports and Greek sport received outstanding news on Thursday, 16 July, as World Aquatics officially approved the transfer of the Alexandri triplets, allowing them to compete once again under the Greek flag.

Following the completion of all the required procedures, the three world-class athletes have regained, after 14 years, the right to represent Greece in international competitions. This marks the beginning of a new and highly promising chapter, both in their remarkable careers and in the history of Greek artistic swimming.

The announcement was made by the President of the Hellenic Swimming Federation, Kyriakos Giannopoulos, to the President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, Isidoros Kouvelos, who personally shared the good news with Anna-Maria, Eirini and Vasiliki Alexandri while they were training at the Olympic Athletic Centre of Athens (OAKA).

“We were absolutely thrilled when Mr. Kouvelos told us the news. We celebrated immediately and started jumping with joy. We truly believed and were confident that we would compete for Greece again, but until we received the final decision, we remained somewhat cautious. It is a great honour and privilege to represent Greece once more. We are deeply moved because, officially, we have returned home. Mr. Kouvelos’ words gave us tremendous strength, and we continued our training with a completely different mindset because we now have even greater motivation,” said the Alexandri sisters.

Mr. Kouvelos stated: “Today is a great day for Greek sport. World Aquatics’ approval and the opportunity for the Alexandri sisters to compete under the Greek flag is a development that fills us with great joy and optimism. This decision is the successful outcome of the difficult and intensive efforts made over a long period by the Hellenic Olympic Committee together with the Hellenic Swimming Federation to bring the girls back to Greece and see them wear the national colours once again.

These are three world-class athletes with outstanding careers and immense experience, who will strengthen our national team and serve as an inspiration for the next generation of athletes. Above all, they are three remarkable young women who will honour our country in every possible way. We warmly welcome them back to the Greek sporting family and are confident that together we will experience great moments and achieve new international successes. The Hellenic Olympic Committee has always stood, stands today, and will always stand by their side.”

The President of the Hellenic Swimming Federation, Kyriakos Giannopoulos, said: “We officially welcome the Alexandri sisters back to their homeland and wish them every success in achieving their future goals. We would also like to thank the Austrian Swimming Federation for the many years of support they provided to the athletes and for their valuable contribution to their sporting development. At the same time, we express our gratitude to the Hellenic Olympic Committee, and especially to its President, Mr. Isidoros Kouvelos, for his unwavering support throughout this process.”

The Alexandri sisters are among the world’s leading artistic swimmers, having won major distinctions and medals at the Olympic Games, World Championships and European Championships. Their addition is expected to significantly strengthen the Greek National Team at all major international competitions in the coming years, culminating in the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028.

Their first competition representing Greece will be the European Artistic Swimming Championships, to be held in Paris from 31 July to 5 August.

Anna-Maria, Eirini and Vasiliki Alexandri were born in Greece in September 1997 and were members of the Greek national teams until 2012. They then moved to Austria, which they represented in international competitions from 2012 until 2025.