Just outside the site of the ancient Olympic Games, hooting owls break the nighttime silence at a white marble monument containing what’s left of a singular Frenchman’s heart. Baron Pierre de Coubertin was the driving force behind the modern Olympics, and as head of the International Olympic Committee oversaw the last Games to be held in Paris, exactly 100 years ago. On Tuesday, the flame that will burn at this summer’s Olympics — the French capital’s third — is to be lit among the ruined temples and sports venues of Olympia in southern Greece. The 5th century B.C. temple of Zeus in ancient Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic Games, is seen under the stars, early Tuesday, April 9, 2024 in a night-time image made following special permission by the Culture Ministry. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) And its first stop on the relay that culminates in the July 26 opening ceremony will be at this cypress-ringed memorial to Coubertin, where the torchbearer will light an altar in his honor. That happens at every lighting ceremony, but this year it will have a special resonance, according to Spyros Capralos, head of the Greek national Olympic committee. “We pay respect to the (monument) of Coubertin every time ... the flame goes first there,” Capralos told The Associated Press. “And now, 2,800 years after the first Olympic Games, we are happy that the (Games) are returning to Paris, birthplace of Pierre de Coubertin.” The French aristocrat’s efforts, inspired by the ancient games and his wish to invigorate a contemporary sports culture, led to the inaugural modern Games being staged in Athens in 1896. The seat Coubertin used at the renovated ancient marble stadium in the Greek capital is still preserved, with his name carved on it. Before he died in 1937 and was buried in Lausanne, Switzerland, Coubertin left special directions for his heart: It was to be removed and placed inside the monument erected in his honor ten years earlier just outside the ruins of ancient Olympia. The Olympic rings are seen behind the double face marble statue known as Hermes in the marble Panathinean Stadium, venue of the first modern Olympics in 1896, in Athens, early Friday, April 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) The future King Paul of Greece performed the ceremony in March 1938, following a blessing by black-robed Greek Orthodox priests. The grove is now part of the International Olympic Academy, an institute established to promote education on the history and principles of the modern Games. Born in 1863, Coubertin was the second president of the IOC — after Greece’s Demetrios Vikelas — serving from 1896-1925. His tenure included the games held in Paris in 1900 and 1924. On a personal level, his life was marred by family tragedy that might explain his single-minded dedication to the Olympics. His son suffered severe brain damage at a young age, and his daughter struggled with mental health issues throughout her life. Coubertin had no other children, and two close nephews were killed in World War I. (AP) The Olympic Flame lighting ceremony ahead of the Paris Olympic Games will take place at the ancient site of Olympia on April 16th in a public event that will be televised live around the world. The high priestess at the ceremony will be Mary Mina, who will hand over the flame to the first torchbearer, Greek Olympic rowing champion Stefanos Ntouskos. It will then be carried by some 500 torchbearers on a 2,000-kilometer journey across Greece, culminating on April 26 at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, the site of the first modern Olympics in 1896. The torch will then set sail to Marseille from Piraeus on board the three-masted Belem, a ship classified as a historical monument since 1984. The torch will be used to light the Olympic Flame when it arrives in France on May 8th, which is just over two and a half months before the Games begin on July 26th.  

Tsitsipas sat holding his head in his hands, briefly crying as he took in his first title of the year and biggest tournament victory for two years.  “I’m very proud of myself today. I had been waiting for a moment like this for a long time,” said the 12th-ranked Tsitsipas, who reached a career-high No. 3 ranking in 2021. “I did not know what was going to happen this week.” The big-serving Greek also won the title in 2021 and 2022 and this latest trophy at the Monte Carlo Country Club took him to 11 career titles overall. “It has been very difficult, so to be back on the podium, winning tournaments, just feels amazing,” Tsitsipas said. “The third time is even more special than the first or second time. This is an unbelievable win for me. Capturing that win today was nerve-wracking, I really wanted this trinity.” It was his first trophy since August last year, when he won a modest ATP 250-level tournament on outdoor hard courts at Los Cabos in Mexico. This was much more prestigious and he shared a warm hug at the net with Ruud, who is chasing his first title of the year and remains stuck on 10 overall. The match featured former French Open runner-ups and offered an early indication of form heading into the clay-court major at next month’s Roland Garros. Tsitsipas was an outsider coming into this tournament, where he was seeded 12th. But he got the better of Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner in the semifinals, handing him only his second defeat of the season to set up a perhaps unexpected final against Ruud, who beat top-ranked Novak Djokovic in Saturday’s other semi. Tsitsipas took an early control. He broke Ruud’s serve and held for 3-1, then secured another break of serve when eighth-seeded Ruud flapped a loose forehand into the net from the back of the court. A nervous-looking Ruud double-faulted on set point. Ruud improved in the second set and pressured Tsitsipas, who saved three break points and took 13 minutes to hold serve in a tough seventh game. That seemed to be Ruud’s last chance while also summing up his erratic match, where he made too many unforced errors and failed to convert any of his eight break-point chances. Tsitsipas hit an ace to win his next service game, leaving Ruud needing to hold serve to stay in the match.  An unforced error at 30-30 saw Ruud patting a straightforward-looking backhand long to offer Tsitsipas a first match point.  He seized the moment. Tsitsipas dominated a brief rally and clinched victory with a forehand winner, then slid on his back with his arms outstretched and put his hands on his face.  “I managed the point relatively well and finished it with the winner,” Tsitsipas said. “I showed some ruthless tennis. From the beginning to the end, my play was cohesive.” Tsitsipas will improve to No. 7 when the ATP rankings are released on Monday.

The 12th-ranked Greek player dropped only five points on his first serve and hit 20 winners. He will next face either Jannik Sinner or Holger Rune for a spot in the final at the clay-court event. Tsitsipas won back-to-back titles at the Country Club in 2021 and 2022. Top-ranked Novak Djokovic takes on Alex De Minaur and Ugo Humbert faces Casper Ruud in Friday’s other quarterfinals. 

“57 murdered souls ask for justice,” the large PAOK banner proclaimed, along with an offensive reference to Hellenic Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The fans chanted “No peace without justice” and “in the name of the dead let’s be a voice, let this crime not be covered up.”

Under new rules, fans will only be allowed into stadiums using their cellphones and displaying a government-issued QR code so they can be identified and attendance bans can be enforced. Stadiums have been closed to spectators for two months so security measures could be overhauled following the death of a police officer who was hit by a flare during a fan riot in Athens in December. Starting Tuesday, fans will have to buy tickets online and verify the purchase using a state-run app used to pay taxes and access online government services. Dimitris Papastergiou, a minister for digital governance, said the full paper ticket phase out would last one month. Exceptions, he said, would be made for minors and seniors, adding that the new system would be expanded to other sporting events after the summer. “The goal is also … to relieve the Greek police of the need to provide hundreds of policemen at stadiums. Police will not be needed at stadium entrances,” Papastergiou told state-run ERT television. The minister said 10,000 of the current 80,000 season-ticket holders had already switched to the new electronic system. (Photo: In this Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, file photo, Greek police secure an entrance of a stadium during a Greek super League soccer match between Atromitos and Panathinaikos, at Peristeri stadium, in Athens, Greece. Greek authorities on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, have launched a ban on paper tickets at all top flight soccer matches as part of an effort to crack down on violence that has plagued the sport for decades. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis, File)  

In the relevant announcement of SEGAS it is stated: "SEGAS and RUN GREECE keep up with the needs of the modern era, with new cities on the calendar, renewed image, modern branding and new tasteful medals. All these new touches add more weight and breathe new life into the popular race series", emphasized the president of SEGAS, Sofia Sakorafa, who was present at the race. In fact, he announced that 20% of the revenue from the registrations will be given to the city's clubs, with estimates of an amount of more than 4,000 euros resulting from the more than 3,500 registered in the match. The other cities that will host this year's RUN GREECE race will receive corresponding support, starting from Sunday, April 21 in Nafplio, which was added to the calendar this year." At RUN GREECE HERAKLEIO, races of 5 and 10 km, as well as the 1,100-meter children's route, were held in the area around the Pankriti stadium.   The winners per event: 5 km Petros Kouroupakis (AO Sitiakos) 17.09 Alexandra Smyrnakis (Pegasus) 20.58 10 km Ioannis Papaleonidas (AO Triton Chalkida) 35.22 Emily Protogeri 42.38   The javelin champion, Yannis Kyriazis, who is currently in Crete for preparation, and the former long distance champion, Stella Pilatou from Heraklion, attended and greeted the starts.   RUN GREECE HERACLEIO was honored with the presence of the Regional Governor of Crete, Stavros Arnautakis, the Mayor of Heraklion, Alexis Kalokairinos, the governor of SEGAS Giorgos Giatroudakis, the treasurer of the federation, Yiannis Lioubas and together the board of EAS SEGAS Crete with the president Panagiotis Antonakakis to take part in the 5 kilometer race as well! The Deputy Regional Governor of Heraklion, Nikos Syrigonakis, the Deputy Regional Governor, Giorgos Pitsoulis, the Deputy Regional Governor for Sports, Leonidas Terzis, and all thematic Deputy Regional Governors also gave their "present". And also from the Municipality of Heraklion the Deputy Mayor, Nikos Gialitakis, the Deputy Mayor for Sports, Yannis Tsapakis, as well as the Vice President of the Heraklion Sports Development Company, Aria Hourdakis, the President of EAKI, Menandros Pantelidis and the Vice President of Stoiximan, sponsor of SEGAS, Panos Konstantopoulos. The athletics festival of Crete EAS SEGAS of Crete, organized by the Region of Crete, held on Saturday, April 6, the traditional celebration of the island's athletics at the Galaxy Hotel. The athletes who climbed the podium in panhellenic championships in 2023 were honored, as well as their coaches and the associations that received medals in the rankings. At the event, the president of SEGAS, Sofia Sakorafa, was also honored by all the associations of Crete for the services she offers with her presence at the helm of the federation in the development and strengthening of classical sports. This year it was the turn of Traffic, while ERGO was also honored. Recognition of their contribution was also received by the associations of athletics judges and the organizations that support Greek sports and athletics in Crete. The event was attended by Mr. Arnautakis, Kalokairinos, Syrigonakis, Terzis, Tsapakis and Konstantopoulos.

Despite the fact that with the "good morning" of the first set, Sakkari found herself behind with a break from the Russian (she competes under a neutral flag), she immediately reacted and "broke" Kundermetova's serve twice, leading to with 4-2. Afterwards, the Greek champion held her serve and with a new break, took the set 6-2, after 39 minutes of play. The "scenario" of the first set was repeated in the second, with the 26-year-old Russian "breaking" the serve of the 28-year-old Greek, who is ranked No. 7 in the world. However, Sakkari reacted again and after breaking in the fourth game, tying the score 2-2, she held her serve until the tenth game, where with a new break, she reached the qualification victory with 6-4 and after 55 minutes of match. Sakkari's opponent in the semi-final will be the American, Danielle Collins (No. 22 in the world), who beat Belgium's Elise Mertens (No. 30) 6-3, 6-4.

Sakkari declared that she was completely satisfied with her performance in this particular match, but also with her general progress in recent weeks: "I am pleased with my reaction to the difficult parts of the match. All in all, I know that I am a character that has ups and downs", emphasized the leading Greek tennis player and added: "I want to eliminate them and not have too many falls in the season. That is my biggest goal and we will see how the ranking will be at the end of the year. I haven't played well in a big Grand Slam level tournament in a while. After a good Grand Slam maybe I can say that I have kept this stability of the last few weeks."

The revolutionary idea, a first in Olympic history, will allow ordinary people to run in one of two races to be held on Saturday 10 August on the same course as the Olympic Marathon. The races will start in front of Paris City Hall.   The first race covers the legendary Marathon distance of 42,195 km while the other is 10 km and will represent 110 countries. Each will have 20,024 participants and take place a few hours after the men's Olympic Marathon. Both the Marathon and the 10km race - as stated by the Olympic organizing committee - will be open to people with a disability, regardless of the level of assistance required, provided they are at least 16 years of age by 31 December 2024 for the 10 km and at least 20 years old by the same date for the 42,195 km, as defined by the regulations of the French Athletics Federation in force from 2022. Marathon Pour Tous will be a gender equality race, with equal numbers of women and men (50%-50%). The youngest 10km runner will be 16 and the oldest 95. The youngest Marathon runner will be 20 and the oldest 85. 1/4 of the Marathon runners will be taking part in their first 42,195km race.  

Interunity Group, the leading shipping services company, presented the first edition of the IG Cycling race - THERMO2024, at an event held at the Hotel Grande Bretagne on Wednesday,   March 13th, 2024. A new sporting challenge, a demanding race, which will be held on June 1st on the imposing mountain range of South Pindos. The cycling race will raise significant amounts with the aim of supporting the charity ELPIDA - Association of friends of children with cancer, as well as the charity Common Seas, in the context of the leading Maritime Exhibition Posidonia 2024. More than 100 athletes will take part in the endurance cycling race and will have the opportunity to ride two demanding routes, in the mountains of South Pindos, of unparalleled natural beauty. The routes of 83km and 163km reach peaks of approximately 1400 meters and approximately 4000 meters of elevation gain, in the heart of Greece. The race will start and finish in the picturesque village of Thermo, three hours from Athens. This new sports institution supports two charitable organizations, which the Interunity Group has in its heart: ELPIDA - Association of friends of children with cancer, and Common Seas. The primary charity of the event, the Hope Association of Friends of Children with Cancer, was founded in 1990 by a group of dynamic women, with the aim of developing a framework of treatment and support for children suffering from cancer, as well as their families. Common Seas leverages the collective experience of people, governments and businesses to become the catalyst for finding and developing local, national and international solutions to tackle marine plastic pollution and improve ocean sustainability. Dimitris Nikolakis, from Interunity Group, and one of the founders of IG Cycling, whose contribution made the dream of creating this race a reality, said: “We have high expectations and believe that THERMO2024 will be a great event. It's definitely a race for strong nerves, but it's all about pushing the limits and fulfilling our dreams. Apart from the unique experience of the stunning beauty of the South Pindos mountains, what we are most looking forward to is joining together with friends from the global shipping community, raising awareness and raising as much money as we can for 2 very important charities. We are grateful for the significant help we have had from all our sponsors and their contribution to the creation of this race, which we hope will be the first of many to come.” The sponsors of the IG Cycling – THERMO2024 event are: SOKANA, Lexus, KPI Ocean Connect, Marshall Islands Registry, Faros Marine Services, Navigator Towage and Agencies Worldwide, Fleetwork, M&F Chartering, Aspida Travel, AVRA, Semeli Estate, EZA, Physio, Top Cycles, Kassimatis Cycling, We Insurance, Bike Sale & Academy , Cubic Marine Logistics, Hermes Harisiadis. The event was honored with their presence: Panagiotis Antonopoulos Deputy Regional Governor of Sports of Western Greece, Vasilios Diamantopoulos President of the Hellenic Cycling Federation, Spyridon Konstandaras, Mayor of Thermo, Peggy Filippou ELPIDA - Association of Friends of Children with Cancer, Aliki Lampropoulou Common Seas.   About IG Cycling IG Cycling - THERMO2024 is a cycling race in the heart of Greece, organized by the Interunity Group. It is a new institution, for cycling enthusiasts and for those for whom love of fellow man and solidarity are fundamental values, especially within the maritime community. This race will give them the opportunity to experience the thrill of cycling on different racing routes and raise significant amounts for environmental, children's and social charities. IG Cycling and its team consists of people with great technical and organizational experience in similar events in Greece and abroad. Its aim is to showcase Greece, its natural beauty, its people and its hospitality and to provide a high level of service to all participants, with standards on a par with cycling events taking place across Europe. www.ig-cycling.com About Interunity Group Interunity Group is the leading services group in the shipping industry, being a family of companies. The group includes IMC, a leader in ship management with a long tradition in specialist gas, chemical and product tankers, as well as container ships and MPP vessels, SOKANA, a global commercial ship management company and Burlington Asset Services (BAS). , which provides specialized risk management services to important institutions in the maritime space.  

Stefanos Tsitsipas, together with Paula Bandosa, visited the facilities of Inter Miami and met David Beckham up close. But for the Greek tennis player, the important acquaintances and meetings with former and current football players who have worldwide fame, do not stop there. After being eliminated by Shapovalov at the Miami Open, he stayed in Florida for a few days of rest and essentially tourism. After David Beckham, Stefanos Tsitsipas met another football star. The newest meeting was with Neymar! The Brazilian is recovering in Miami from his serious injury and of course Tsitsipas did not miss the opportunity to have his picture taken with him.

While it was smooth passage for Sakkari it was rough going for Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, the fourth seed having to dig deep to see off determined Danish qualifier Clara Tauson 3-6 7-5 6-4 in a near empty Hard Rock stadium. After splitting the opening two sets in a ragged back-and-forth contest, 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina finally seized control with a break to nose in front 3-2 in the third and would never let go of the lead. Sakkari, putting the 6-4 6-0 California drubbing at the hands of world number one Iga Swiatek in Sunday’s final in the rearview mirror, was all business after having failed at the first hurdle in her last two visits to Miami. Having collected her first WTA Tour title in Austin last month and following that up with a quarter-final run at Indian Wells, Yuan represented a potentially tricky first test for eighth seeded Greek. But the 28-year-old passed with flying colours, breaking her Chinese opponent five times in the 79-minute masterclass.