Over 600 participants from 25 countries at Front Runners 5.0 conference in Athens

The biggest conference in Greece focusing on sports, sustainability, the role of women in sports and sports tourism, Front Runners in Sports Management 5.0, was successfully organized for the 5th year, by the Sports Management Program and Sports Management Student Society of Deree – The American College of Greece, with the Center of Excellence in Food, Tourism & Leisure, The American College of Greece and the multi-award winner ActiveMedia Group December 7-9 at Deree – The American College of Greece.

More than 65 eminent speakers, 35% of whom were women, met at Front Runners 5.0 with more than 600 participants from 25 different countries and more than 340 companies, related to the sports industry and discussed the latest developments in the field of sports tourism, sustainability, and the sports industry.

The conference started with a video message from Greek Minister of Tourism Olga Kefalogianni who stated that “tourism and sports are two areas that mobilize hundreds of millions of people around the world.”

“We envision Greece evolving into a hub for international sports events attracting athletes and fans from around the world and further establishing its position as a premier destination for sports enthusiasts,” she said.

Secretary General of Sport George Mavrotas stated: “Sport is not only about medals, titles, cups. Sport is much more than this. It is a social platform and while in the past it was mostly a tool of dominance and superiority for the nations, now it has become a platform, a tool for inclusion, for integration, for respect, for solidarity, and this is essentially the actual power of sport.”

Greek National Tourism Organization President Angela Gerekou said: “Our country, the birthplace of the Sports Ideal, of the Olympic Ideal, satisfies all the requirements needed for hosting top sporting events but also high-level conferences of similar substance.”

Vice President of the International Olympic Academy and member of the International Tennis Federation Olympic Committee Spyros Zannias said: “Founded on the pillars of education and dissemination of Olympic values, the International Olympic Academy has been instrumental in cultivating a global community devoted to promoting the ideological and educational dimension of the Olympic movement. The values of respect, friendship, excellence, and fair play extend far beyond the sports arena and should resonate deeply in the corridors of sports management.”

International Olympic Academy Director Makis Asimakopoulos noted that “Olympism is not only about the Olympic Games but also about the way of living. A lifestyle in which our values are in the center of everything to lead to a better world. Empower the sports industry with the knowledge and networking needed to cope with the challenges of today’s world. Let’s work together for a better world, a better sports industry, a better Olympic Movement.”

Vice President for Academic Affairs at Deree – The American College of Greece, Professor of Education and Philosophy, Honorary Professor of Education at Macquarie University, Australia, Dr. Panos Vlachopoulos stated: “This year is a very important year for us, as we celebrate 100 years of continuous existence in Greece. So, we are very happy that we are hosting this event. Our commitment to excellence extends beyond the classroom activity that we do as a college. We have around, at the time, 4,500 undergraduate students in over 40 different majors from 65 different countries. More than 1,000 students from public Greek universities and students from the United States of America.”

Sports Tourism

On December 7, the only research carried out on Sports Tourism in Greece in the last three years with the support of Deree – The American College of Greece was presented. In the last three years, surveys have been conducted at Zagori for Zagori Mountain Running, at Costa Navarino for the Navarino Challenge, at Pefki for the Authentic Marathon Swim, at Santorini for Santorini Experience, and at Syros for the Stoiximan AegeanBall Festival.

According to the research presented, sports tourism events are more than just a weekend, for example in Syros the visitors stay on the island for four nights on average.

In the context of the conference, Chief Operating Officer of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings Matina Kolokotronis, with 22 years of experience in the NBA, in her first speech in Greece, addressed all women saying: “You have to be curious, bold, and fearless. When an opportunity presents itself, you just do it. That’s how I got ahead in life”.

She also never forgot her ties to Greece: “As a Greek individual, I hold strong ties to my family, and the concept of ‘Philoxenia’ (hospitality) is particularly important to me. I carry this sense of hospitality and warmth into my meetings and professional work. I am very proud of it.”

Website: www.front-runners.gr

Read more at thenationalherald.com

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

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