Sport in Greece
Greece has a long and important history in the world of sport, being the original home of the ancient Olympic Games.
This southern European country loves football and their national team have steadily risen to prominence in the international stage starting from their upset in the UEFA Euro 2004 when they beat Portugal when Angelos Charisteas scored the only goal of the game. This is considered as one of the biggest upsets in the international football history.
Greece also is considered as one of the world powerhouses for basketball. They are one of the founding members of FIBA and is considered as the fourth best team in the world. The Greek national basketball team has consistently taken the silver medal in the FIBA World Championship since 2006 and are also the EuroBasket bronze winner since 2009. They were the European Champions twice (1987 and 2005) as well as winning two more medals in 1989 (silver) and 1949 (bronze).
Olympic flame lighting ceremony at Olympia, GreeceGreece is one of only four countries that has participated in all Summer Olympic Games since it started in 1896. They even sent athletes to Moscow despite the Greek government's support of the US-led boycott of the 1980 Games.
Below are details of sports, sporting events and sports people related to Greece.
Popular sports of Greece
- Football (Soccer), Athletics, Basketball, Water polo, Weight lifting, Wrestling, Volleyball
Greek Sporting Successes
- 1987 and 2005 - European basketball champions
- 2004 UEFA Euro
Great athletes from Greece
- Dimitrios Loundras (gymnastics)
- Pyrros Dimas - 3 time Olympic champion in weightlifting.
- Spiros Louis - first modern Olympic Marathon winner 1896.
- Pietro Mennea - gold at the 1980 Summer Olympics.
- Nikos Galis (basketball) - top scorer of all time in Greece, but more than anything he was the one to bring a Basketball frenzy in the country that turned Greece to one of the most powerfull basketball countries in the World.
Greece Sports trivia
- Greece is one of only two nations to have participated at every Olympic Games of the modern era.
- At the 1896 Summer Olympics Greece finished 2nd on the medal table with 10 gold medals, one less than the USA.
- There have been several successful tennis players with Greek ancestry, such as Pete Sampras and Mark Philippoussis.
- Greece's Rugby League Team has qualified for their first Rugby League World cup, the England RLWC 2021.
Greece at major events
- Greece at the Summer Olympics
- Greece at the Winter Olympics
- Greece at the FIFA World Cup
- Greece at the UEFA Euros
Past sporting events events hosted in Greece
- 776 BC - 393 AD - the ancient Olympics held in in Olympia.
- 1896 Olympic Games Athens
- 1906 Olympic Games Athens
- 2004 Olympic Games Athens
- 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens
- 2019 Mediterranean Beach Games in Patras
Upcoming sporting events in Greece
- 2023 Mediterranean Beach Games in Heraklion
Annual sporting events held in Greece
- Superleague Greece
Sporting Facilities in Greece
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