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Where history meets sportsmanship

A healthy mind in a healthy body: it’s a saying we’ve all heard that has been considered across the ages as the key to well-being and sporting achievement. Since antiquity, the Greeks have thought athletic excellence and sportsmanship to be among the greatest attributes and virtues a citizen could have. After all, Greece is well known as the birthplace of the Olympic Games. The first Olympic Games took place in 776 B.C. in Olympia, Western Peloponnese. They gradually grew into a symbol of peace and friendly sports competition: any hostilities among the participant city-states had to be suspended during that period, as the Olympic Truce was respected by all. The Olympic Games winners were not offered any financial awards or prizes; they were simply crowned with an olive branch wreath, which was considered the greatest honor an athlete could possibly receive. An Olympic Games winner would have his good reputation survive his death and posterity would honor and remember him long after he had passed away.

The Olympic Flame was lit before the Games and burned until the events were over. Today’s lighting of the Flame follows the ancient tradition; it is lit during a ceremony in Olympia, where the Head Priestess of the temple of goddess Hera, followed by other priestesses, lowers the torch in a concave mirror as she calls upon Apollo, the god of light, to direct the sun’s rays there. The flame produced is then passed to the first torchbearer of the Olympic Torch Relay. After a journey of several months, the Flame arrives at the Olympic Stadium of the hosting city, where it burns for the duration of the Games.

Historic-flavored sports aside, sailing competitions, too, draw their fair share of attention in this country renowned for its maritime heritage. A host of open sea races takes place in Greek waters from June to late October, and devoted local and international fans meet across the Aegean and Ionian Seas to participate and feel the adrenaline rush. Τhe Spetses Classic Yacht Regatta, the Aegean Rally, the Aegean 600 Race, the Rodos Cup, the Aegean Regatta, and the Catamarans Cup International Regatta are yearly competitions that combine the sailing race experience with local cultural events that take place on some of the islands that contestants visit during their voyage.

If offshore sailing isn’t your thing, land sports such as cycling can be a great option if you’d rather explore the Greek mainland. The ΔΕΗ International Tour of Hellas is a cycling race which takes place every year in April or May. Riders pass by all types of rural, suburban and urban terrain, traveling along sea-level areas, lakes and rivers, as well as across plains, hills and high mountains. This year, cyclists started the race at Thessaloniki, the biggest city in the Greek North, and ended it in the capital, Athens.

Make the most of the country’s Mediterranean climate and explore its beautiful mainland and islands while you take part in your preferred sports competition in Greece.

Thrill to the Aegean 600 Race sailing when you visit the archeological site of the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounio at the right time, a fitting location to see a maritime competition.
Thrill to the Aegean 600 Race sailing when you visit the archeological site of the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounio at the right time, a fitting location to see a maritime competition, ©GNTO / V Fragoulis.

Things to consider before traveling

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Some tips to consider while traveling

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