On Monday, 26 February 2018, a ceremony was held at the War Museum, awarding Armed Forces – Security Forces distinguished athletes (both men and women) and teams for the year 2017. Special awards were also presented, in the context of the 70 years anniversary since the establishment of the Armed Forces Supreme Sports Council.

The Alternate Minister of National Defence Dimitris Vitsas, the Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis, the Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff Lieutenant General Alkiviadis Stefanis, the Chief of the Navy General Staff Vice Admiral Nikolaos Tsounis, the Chief of the Air Force General Staff Lieutenant General Christos Christodoulou, the Chief of the Hellenic Police Department Lieutenant General Constantinos Tsouvalas, the Chief of the Hellenic Harbour Guard – Coast Guard Vice Admiral Stamatios Raptis, the Chief of the Fire Department Lieutenant General Soterios Terzoudis and many veteran athletes attended the ceremony.

The Alternate Minister of National Defence stated  the following:

‘Firstly, I would like to welcome the veteran athletes, who are the living history of the Hellenic sports and thank them for being with us today, thus honouring us.

Today, we are honoring the 70 years since the establishment of the Armed Forces Supreme Sports Council and its long history. Let us not forget that for many years,  military sports were the foundation of  Hellenic sports in general.

From all our activities, I would like to make mention of  three specific ones:

Firstly, it is the path of sacrifice and honor and other related sports activities. We reinforced this institute and will continue to do so. This shows that the Armed Forces know, through deeds and not only words, how to honor both the history of the Greek nation and its gallantry. Thus proving in another way, that we do not need walls – as legend has it in antiquity concerning Olympic champions – to protect our sovereign rights and our country. The way our local society responds and reciprocates every time, embracing this endeavour, with the participation of more people every day is of utter importance.

The second thing I would like to point out is the way through which we cooperate to spread the sports ideals and idea to schools. In this field, we need more work and reciprocation. Taking this opportunity, I would like to call the principals of elementary, primary and secondary education schools, and university administrations as well, to cooperate more closely. Olympic champions should initiate a dialogue, and in short, live with the young people.

Thirdly, our activities have a beneficial impact on the welfare and clear mind of the Armed Forces members and soldiers. There are people who engaged in sports when they were first drafted, and this is why it is important for all to deliver this message.

We point out these three issues as fundamentals and we must do so next year as well.

I would like to thank you for all you have done so far.

By overcoming the financial difficulties, the Armed Forces sports must be reinforced with both resources and manpower.

May the Armed Forces Supreme Sports Council set up new records in the years to come’.