Sports played in Greece

Answer 1

Greece is the home of the ancient Olympic Games, and in the modern games have won 143 medals in 15 different Olympic sports, making them one of the top nations globally of medals per capita.

They have since succeeded in many other sports including football (or soccer), with their national team winning the 2004 UEFA European Football Championship.

Greece also have a long, successful history in Basketball, being one of the eight founding members of FIBA, and is ranked the fourth best national team in the world.

Vollyball is often played in Greece, who's successes include two bronze medals in the European Volleyball Championship, one in the European Volleyball League, a 5th place in the Olympic Games and a 6th place in the FIVB World Championship.

Greece is often regarded as an international powerhouse in both men's and women's Water Polo. The men's national team have won a silver medal in the 1997 FINA World Cup, two bronze medals in the FINA World League in 2004 and 2006, a bronze medal in the 2005 World Aquatics Championship and the 4th place in the 2004 Olympic Games. The women's national team won the gold medal in the 2011 World Aquatics Championships, the silver medals in the 2004 Olympic Games and the 2010 European Championship, as well as a gold and two bronze medals in the FINA World League in 2005, 2007 and 2010 respectively.

Greece have produced many kickboxing champions, including 'Iron' Mike Zambidis, but is still a small sport in Greece.

Handball is one of the most popular team sports in Greece and their national team finished 6th out of 24 teams in the 2005 World Men's Handball Championship, in their first (and so far only) time competing. In the 2004 Olympics, Greece finished 6th.

Tennis has been growing in Greece over the past decade. Eleni Daniilidou has had a lot of success, winning 5 WTA Tour titles in her career. Several players with Greek ancestry, such as Pete Sampras and Mark Philippoussis have become very famous around the world. Greek-Cypriot star Marcos Baghdatis has many fans in Greece.

Swimming and Diving are two sports that Greek athletes have achieved significant wins at the Olympic Games, World championships and European Championships. Some notable Greek swimmers are the Olympic champions of the past Spiridon Chasapis and Efstathios Chorofas and present World and European champions such as Romanos Alyfantis, Ioannis Drymonakos, the world champion in the 50 m backstroke event of the 2005 World Championships

Aristeidis Grigoriadis and silver world champion Spyridon Gianniotis. Thomas Bimis and Nikolaos Siranidis made history winning Greece's first-ever gold medal in diving and the hosts' first gold of the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Greece has three bordering seas, the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea, so it not surprising that sailing is a popular sport. Greek athletes have won 7 medals in sailing and 2 in Rowing at the Olympic games and also numerous gold medals in the world and European championships. Some of the most notable Greek athletes in the sports of sailing and rowing include world and olympic champions such as Nikolaos Kaklamanakis (a Greek Gold-medal winner in windsurfing, who lit the Olympic torch in the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens), Anastasios Bountouris (a Greek sailor who competed at six Olympics between 1976 and 1996. He is the first Greek to compete at six Olympic Games, an achievement so far matched only by shooter Agathi Kassoumi. He won a bronze medal in the 1980 Olympics in the Three-Person Keelboat with Anastasios Gavrilis and Aristidis Rapanakis), Sofia Bekatorou (who has participated in over 470 main class events including 2004 Summer Olympics sailing competition, where she won gold medal in the women's double-handed dinghy event in the 470 with her pair Emilia Tsoulfa. She has also won 4 world championships), Georgios Zaimis (a Greek sailor and Olympic Champion, who competed at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and won a gold medal in the Dragon class with the boat Nirefs), Vasileios Polymeros (a Greek rower who won the bronze medal in men's lightweight double sculls with Nikolaos Skiathitis at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, and the silver in men's lightweight double sculls with Dimitrios Mougios at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He has also won one gold and 3 silver medals in the world championships) and Dimitrios Mougios (who won the silver medal in men's lightweight double sculls with Vasileios Polymeros at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, two-times European champion and a silver world champion). In the European Rowing Championships, Greece has won more gold medals all-time than any other nation, and is tied with Germany for the second-most medals of all time (behind Italy). In fact, Greece has finished first in the medal count 50% of the times it has been held, and has been in the top 4 of the medal count every single time!

The forms of wrestling we know today as Greco-Roman and Freestyle found their origins in the lands on the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. These lands are where the Ancient Greeks resided, and developed the art of wrestling. Wrestling to the Greeks was not only part of a soldier's training regimen, but also a part of everyday life. Even in modern days, Wrestling has been one of the most significant Olympic sports in Greece, which has produced many Olympic and world champions and has given moments of glory to the country. Greece has won 11 medals at the modern Olympics and multiple medals in the World and European championships, a fact that makes the sport as one of the most successful for the country on a global stage. Some of the most significant Greek wrestlers are Stelios Mygiakis, Georgios Tsitas, Petros Galaktopoulos, Ioannis Arzoumanidis, and Artiom Kiouregkian.

Weightlifting has been the most successful individual sport for the Greeks, with the national team regularly winning gold medals at the Olympics and the rest international competitions. Greek weightlifters have won a total 15 medals at the Olympics with 6 of them being gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze medals. In the World Weightlifting Championships Greek weightlifting team has won a total 111 medals (70 in men and 41 in women) with 26 of them being gold. Greek weightlifters have set many world and Olympic records during the years which forced the sporting world to name the Greek weightlifting team of the mid 90's, the "Dream Team" of the sport. Some of the greatest weightlifters in the history of the sport include Greek legends such as Pyrros Dimas, Kakhi Kakhiashvili, Viktor Mitrou, and Dimitrios Tofalos.