On the mapping and digitization of Greek sports, a project being attempted for the first time in Greece, the Deputy Minister of Sports spoke, among others, John Brutsisin its context 9th Delphi Economic Forum which takes place in Delphi April 10 – 13 and is under the auspices of A.E. of the President of the Republic, Mrs. Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
As Mr. Vroutsis pointed out, “Greece for the first time has a unique tool available to everyone that is posted on the ministry’s website. We got to know the athletes and coaches for every sport, in every region of the country.” According to him, until March 21, the athletes in Greece were 412,329, while the coaches were 13,484. The deputy minister also noted that in the last three years, the state has allocated 200 million euros to sports, through betting taxation.
Referring to the Olympic Games hosted this year in France, Mr. Vroutsis emphasized that “every year like this, we in Greece should have one thing in mind, that we are the country that gave birth to the Olympic Games, sports”.
“From the first moment I adopted the opinion that sport alone is empty of content if it is not accompanied by education and culture” he added, adding that for the first time the Ministry of Sports fully finances and supports the International Olympic Academy (IOA).
On his part, Mr. Isidore Dustbin, president of the International Olympic Academy and member of the Committee for Olympic Education of the IOC, informed about the work and values of the IOC. As he said, “it was created at the request of Baron Pierre de Coubertin and on the model of the ancient gymnasium where students learned not only sports, but also culture, poetry, literature.” However, Mr. Kouvelos observed that “although the Olympic values were born here, unfortunately they are not taught today.” He referred to the Academy’s master’s degree, “the best in the world in Olympic studies and sport management”, emphasizing that “we succeeded and made the Academy an international university”. He concluded, with a saying of Aristotle, that excellence is not won by winning a title or a gold medal, but by the way of behavior of each one.
About sports, a 560 billion industry in the world, surpassing that of cinema and the car, spoke the George Tzetzis, professor of “Feedback models and management of sports skills” of the Department of Physical Education and Sports Science of AUTH. As he characteristically mentioned, there are many sciences that support sports, and one of them is marketing, specifically sports. However, according to him, “unfortunately, at least in Greece, the sports industry is not trained, although efforts are being made in this direction”.
Referring to sponsors, he called them the “important part that connects sports with business and the public, in a triangular relationship where everyone wins” while adding that “the growth of sponsorships is huge and currently stands at 66 billion worldwide while by 2030 it will reach 108 billion”.
Bea Larregle, Regional Managing Director Southern Europe for Visa said: “Talking about the Olympic and Paralympic Games here in Greece, where this institution began its journey, I feel proud and humbled. Games can inspire, unite and financially benefit the world. According to a study by the University of Limoges, the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris could generate 10.7 billion euros and create more than 250,000 jobs. Thanks to Visa’s long commitment to the Games, innovative payment methods have been introduced that transform transactions by providing convenience. In France, efforts are being made to help small businesses capitalize on this fact by enhancing their scope of work and growth.”
Taking the floor, Mr Nikos ParrotParalympian in cycling, emphasized that he has secured the qualification for the Paris Olympics, which will be the second Paralympics for him.
“It is important to have people who support me in my endeavor because that way I can remain 100% focused on my goal and prepare as best as possible to win a place on the podium” noted the athlete, referring to Visa and concluded that “and the state is trying to take some steps in fields where there were gaps in the past years”.
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