The Olympic Day 2022 was celebrated by the H.O.X. on Saturday 18 and 25 June in the fencing hall in O.A.K.A. with events held in the context of the competitive action of the National Championship Pampaidon - Panchayat 2022 in Sword Duel and Saber.
The young athletes participated in two festive events, which took place before the start of the games in each category. To mark the festive day, the children received hats and certificates for their participation in the Olympic event, and then had the opportunity to hear a few words from the guests of honour at the games.
Specifically, at the event on Saturday, June 18, the Secretary General of the H.O.X. Mr.Anestis Kostidis spoke to the young fencers about the historicity and the timeless power of the Olympic Truce, which was the trigger for the start of the first Olympic Games. Then the representative of the E.O.E. Mr. Thomas Tokas stressed the importance of the institution of the Olympic Day and urged the children to be active through sport and to discover the Olympic values through the pillar «Moving-Learning-Discovering, Together for a Better World». He also expressed his belief in the contribution of sport to peace and solidarity, as he said «sport builds bridges and unites people».
In the event for the Varsity 8η Olympic champion of the 2004 Olympic Games, Ms Dimitra Maganoudaki shared her thoughts with the young athletes, mentioning among other things that the Olympic Day is also a day to celebrate the foundation of the International Olympic Committee, as it was founded in 1896 during the first organization of the modern Olympic Games in Athens. He reminded the children that it is particularly important on this day to pass on messages of peace and reconciliation between peoples, especially at the current juncture with wars raging around us. The Vice President of the H.O.X., Mr. Christos Pavlidis, taking the floor next, stressed that sport unites people, encourages the development of healthy competition and creates friendships that will last a lifetime. Finally, he noted that the Olympic Day is dedicated to all the ideals that sport inspires in people.
On Saturday 25 June the events were introduced by Mrs Iris Vlachoutsikou, member of the Board of Directors of the H.O.X., while honorary guests from the fencing world said a few words. In particular, Mr Christos Grollios, member of the Board of Directors of the H.O.X., shared the message of the Hellenic Olympic Committee and the National Olympic Academy, dedicated to the Olympic Day 2022. «Through the celebration, we promote the Olympic values, values that are timeless and universal, such as friendship, respect, solidarity, and fair play, while at the same time we live the joy of sport, creation, learning and participation,» said Mr. Grolios, and concluded by saying that «together, we can build a better and peaceful world through sport.»
The fencing champions Katerina Kontochristopoulou and Dora Gountoura who participated in the Olympic Games shared their experience with the children. Katerina Kontochristopoulou (Youth Olympic Games Nanjing 2014, Rio 2016, Fencing Exercise) after reminding the young fencers that the work and training they do now builds the foundations for them to achieve all their goals in the future, referred to the moment when she entered the stadium of Rio for the Opening Ceremony, which she said was as worthy as the moment she stepped on the track to compete: «You enter the Opening Ceremony all the athletes united, that is the message of the Olympic Games. The goal is to enjoy it and do our best», the Greek champion added, closing her short speech.
Dora Gountoura (Tokyo 2020, Sabre) referring to her participation in the recent Tokyo Olympics said that it was an excellent moment in her athletic career, stressing however that the Olympic experience is not limited to the moment of the competition, but more on the way to the Games: «It requires sacrifice, it requires stubbornness, willpower, but the main thing is to have fun and enjoy what we do.» He urged the kids to enjoy training with their teammates, to love the games and most of all to want to evolve. Finally, she concluded her greeting by wishing «every year I see you here growing up in the fencing world, our family, and bringing much better results than me.»
We thank them all warmly for talking to the children about the importance of the Olympic Ideas and Values, such as «Fair Play» and «Noble Amillah», and for sharing their Olympic experience with the next generation of champions, our young fencers.
We would like to thank the Hellenic Olympic Committee and the National Olympic Academy for their contribution to this year's Olympic Day message: ‘’Move for Peace’’!
At the end of the events, athletes, sportswomen and guests raised the White Card, the symbol for achieving peace through sport.
