The cooperation of the top

Olympiacos does not mean only sports, football, basketball… Olympiacos means giving to the community and participating in all aspects of everyday life. With active presence in programs of global range and international impact. A decision of Vangelis Marinakis that has already achieved global recognition. In this context and with the initiative of the leader of the Piraeus team, two years ago Olympiacos started cooperating with Harvard University, in order to contribute to the fellow man, using football and sports in general as the ‘vehicle’.

These two years the represantives of Olympiacos have been present in Boston, taking part in the big global conference, around the theme of unity around sports and the right of all to take part in sports, opening the way for the further cooperation of the two sides, according to the wish of Vangelis Marinakis. In this context, Olympiacos hosted Harvard University and all its guests, while it made the biggest contribution to conclude the ‘The Athens Principle on the Right to Participate in Sport’, a declaration that Vangelis Marinakis was the first to sign! After the organization of the conference ‘Reinforcing, Crossing, and Transcending Borders: Soccer in a Globalized World’ at the “Georgios Karaiskakis” stadium, this cooperation was enhanced and of course it continues with constant pace.

The ‘Athens Principle’ has already been signed by some of the biggest teams in world sports, such as Barcelona FC, Real Madrid, Euroleague, Fenerbahçe, Sporting CP of Lisbon, AIPS. Also this year Olympiacos had a strong presence in Boston. Greece’s top football team was represented to this year’s conference by Christian Karembeu, strategic advisor to the management, the director of international relations Mr. Costas Vernikos and the team manager Kyriakos Dourekas. The conference was entitled ‘Participation, Inclusion and Social Responsibility in Global Sports’ and continue the work that started two years ago.

Christian Karembeu was one of the speakers at the conference, to which also present were, among others, academics and historians from all over the world but also legendary figures of European football such as Emilio Butragueño  and Lilian Thuram. Stephen Ortega and Sven Becket (of Simons College and Harvard University respectively) will also be there as keynote speakers. This is another ‘decoration’ for Olympiacos and Vangelis Marinakis in their ceaseless struggle for social service. For yet another time, Greece’s top team opens up borders and acts as an international advertisement for Greece.