Spyros Capralos Unanimously Reelected HOC President

Spyros Capralos has been re-elected President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee for a third four-year term. Capralos was the only candidate for the presidency and received 22 out of 22 votes.

Addressing the members of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, the President said: "Thank you very much for your trust and confidence in me and for electing me as President for another four-year term. However, it is now time for serious reflection and self-criticism rather than celebrations. What happened in the past few months has tarnished the image of the HOC, both in Greece and abroad. Most importantly, our athletes who represent our country in elite international sport competitions have been left without support.

The International Olympic Committee has still no representative in our country, the athletes’ support programme "Adopt an athlete on the way to Tokyo" is moving at a slow pace, while the national sport federations are currently facing a variety of problems and challenges. What happened in 2017 should serve as a lesson in order for similar situations to be avoided in the future, and above all, in order to avoid the same mistakes that have an impact on those who are not responsible for them.

The Hellenic Olympic Committee needs to be united. We should all realise that we do not represent ourselves but the sport that has elected us and that our mission is national rather than an individual one. Everything we do is for the sake of our country and for the athletes. For these reasons I wish to invite you all to a new beginning, a new effort for the benefit of sport, leaving behind what happened in the previous nine months.

The spirit of consensus reflected in today’s elections has to carry on in the days and months to follow in order for the wounds to be healed. I would like to invite you all to work hard, united and determined to make up for the lost time.

I am also addressing those who are not here today. They must consider their obligation as well as their responsibility towards those who elected them as members of the Hellenic Olympic Committee. Any differences must be resolved through dialogue, exchange of views and opinions and not by means of public statements that offer no solution to the problems of Greek sport.

We are on the eve of the Lighting Ceremony of the Olympic Flame, taking place next Tuesday in Ancient Olympia, the Torch Relay on Greek territory which follows right after and the Handover Ceremony of the Flame to the Organizing Committee for the Winter Olympic Games of PyeongChang, Korea, which will be held at the Panathenaic Stadium a week later.

It is a first class opportunity to remind the whole world what our country has offered to the Olympic movement. To conclude, I would like to point out that I am at your disposal for anything concerning the HOC, Greek sport and primarily our athletes.

Thank you all very much, I wish every success to our work."

The HOC Plenary Session has also elected the following:

1st Vice President: Stelios Aggeloudis

2nd Vice President: Xenophon Athanasiou

Secretary General: Manolis Kolympadis

Treasurer: Antonis Nikolopoulos

Executive Board: Aristidis Adamopoulos, Polyxeni Argeitaki, Yiannis Karras

President of the International Olympic Academy: Isidoros Kouvelos

President of the Ethics Commission: Manolis Katsiadakis

President of the Olympic Preparation Commission: Spyros Zannias

President of the Olympic Torch Relay Commission: Athanasios Vassiliadis

Since the establishment of the HOC its foundation, Presidents of the HOC have been:

Crown Prince Constantine (1894-1912)

King Constantine (1913)

Crown Prince George (1914-1917)

Miltiadis Negrepontis (1918-1920)

Crown Prince George (1921-1922)

King George B’ (1922-1923)

George Averoff (1924-30/4/1930)

Ioannis Drosopoulos (1/5/1930-1936)

Crown Prince Paul (1936-1948)

King Paul (1948-1952)

Kostas Georgakopoulos and Ioannis Ketseas (1953-1954)

Crown Prince Constantine (1955-1964)

Crown Princess Irene (1965-1968)

Theodosios Papathanasiadis (1969-1973)

Spyridon Vellianitis (31/1/1973-1974)

Apostolos Nikolaidis (30/8/1974-1976)

Georgios Athanasiadis (1976-1983)

Aggelos Lempesis (14/4/1983-1984)

Lambis Nikolaou (1985-1988 and 1989-1992)

Antonios Tzikas (1993-1996)

Lambis Nikolaou (1997-2000 and 2001-2004)

Minos X. Kyriakou (2004-2009)

Spyros Capralos (2009 - today)

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