Sydney’s Greek community has celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Athens Olympics opening ceremony on Sunday, August 18.
The positive reception of the night proved memories of the opening ceremony have remained vivid and emotional in the hearts of many Greek Australians.
A modest yet significant event took place in the hall of AHEPA NSW in Rockdale, Sydney. The purpose was to honour Athens and the highly successful organisation of the 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games, marking 20 years since these historic moments for Greece.
It is worth recalling that on August 13, 2004, Greece set the bar extremely high and showcased history across the globe by exhibiting Olympic and Greek ideals, Olympic ethics, noble competition and sportsmanship.
The hall was filled with Greek community leaders and special guests including the First Secretary for Public Diplomacy of Greece in Australia at the Consulate General of Greece in Sydney, Anastasia Christofilopoulou; President of the Athenian Association of NSW, Cathy Valis; and Secretary of the Greek Australian Teachers’ Association of NSW, Haroula Themistocleous.
AHEPA NSW Secretary Dr Panagiotis Diamantis welcomed and thanked the guests and other attendees for their presence.
Dr Diamantis emphasised that Athens provided a lesson in ethics with the perfect organisation of the 2004 Olympic Games – an organisation that “surprised everyone despite the negative atmosphere that had preceded it.”
Greetings were given by Nia Gitsa, representing AHEPA NSW President Jim Papanayiotou, and Nikos Grigorakos from the AHEPA NSW Cafe. Both speakers thanked the organisers of the event, specifically Dimitrios Kametopoulos for proposing this commemorative event marking 20 years since the Greek Olympics.
“When Greeks around the world are united, they can perform miracles, and the Olympics and Paralympics were clear proof of that!” Ms Gitsa said.
Olympic and Paralympic volunteer from Athens 2004 and Special Olympics volunteer from Athens 2011, Mr Kametopoulos, wearing the special volunteer uniform from 2004, was invited to present the remainder of the programme.
Mr Kametopoulos shared his personal story of determination, as a Greek expatriate from Australia, to contribute to the significant challenge and endeavour of Athens, recounting his memories with considerable emotion.
He also recalled his appointment as the team leader for Australia at the Special Olympics in Athens in June 2011 with “great joy.” In his closing remarks, Mr Kametopoulos thanked “heartfelt, wholeheartedly, and warmly,” the AHEPA NSW board for accepting his proposal and the Greek-language media in Australia – both radio and print – for their support of the event. He also made special mention of Ms Valis, who held the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Athens Games at the Cyprus Community Club in Stanmore in August 2014.
The event also featured emotional speeches from Greek Australian volunteers Paraskevi Paranomou and Paraskevi Skorda, who also wore their uniforms.
Ms Skorda, who was quite young in 2004, teared up while talking about her experiences as the pair recalled the unforgettable Olympic Stadium, their duties controlling venue entry points and the Games’ spectacle.
Other Olympics volunteers present at the event included Fotini Gouma and Dionysios Markou.
A clip from the magical opening ceremony was shown on the large screen in the hall. The clip focused on the connection between the Olympic Stadium and ancient Olympia and showcased Greece’s long history from the Minoan era, the golden age of Athens, the Hellenistic period of Alexander the Great, the Byzantine era, the modern Greek Revolution of 1821 and the era of Greek rebetiko music and tavernas.
Various exhibits from the Olympics and Paralympics were on display, including the beloved mascots Phobos and Athena, as well as the seahorse Proteas from the Paralympics, cards, books, photos, Olympic pins, flags, maps showing the global torch relay of 2004 and bundles of tickets for Olympic events.
The evening concluded with a lavish reception hosted by AHEPA NSW members for all attendees.
One thing is certain: the spirit and lessons from the 2004 Olympics will forever remain in the memories and hearts of fans and particularly of Greek volunteers.
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