Olympiacos’ partnership with Harvard University, already in its 2nd year, still grows. Both organizations keep walking hand in hand on the path of solidarity to our fellow people showcasing what’s good about football and sports in general. A couple of years ago, Legend’s delegates attended a massive conference in Boston on sports and the universal right to participate in sports!
Strategy Advisor to the Administration, Mr. Christian Karembeu, then Vice President Mr. Thodoros Giannikos, Director of International Relations Mr. Kostas Vernikos and out team manager Mr. Kyriakos Dourekas, were the ones to represent Olympiacos in Boston, since they visited Harvard University and took part in the conference, paving thus the way for future collaboration between both organizations, a desire that had been expressed by Olympiacos leader, Mr. Evangelos Marinakis, himself.
One year later, it was the time for those academic members selected by Olympiacos to visit Greece. Olympiacos, a worthy ambassador of Greece in football and beyond that stands light years ahead of its competitors on social and CSR issues some, hosted Harvard University’s delegation and all club guests, whereas greatly contributed in putting together “The Athens Principle on the Right to Participate in Sports”, which Mr. Evangelos Marinakis was the first to sign! The conference he conference “Reinforcing, Crossing, and Transcending Borders: Soccer in a Globalized World” laid the foundations for football and sports, in general, to foster this cause for a better world!
Ever since, both sides’ partnership continues unrelentingly. The Athens Principle has already been signed by major world-class organisations, including Barcelona, Real Madrid, the Euroleague, Fenerbahce, Sporting Lisbon or AIPS. It was Olympiacos who took the first step, Mr. Evangelos Marinakis was the pioneer and, since that moment, more and more “teammates” in this match of true solidarity to our fellow people, via football and sports, join us.
So, this year, Olympiacos will also be present in Boston; our club will provide its support, as done two years ago, to Harvard and associates. This year’s conference will be entitled “Participation, Inclusion and Social Responsibility in Global Sports” and will take the relay and resume works from 2 years ago. A delegation, consisting –again- of Mrs. Karembeu, Vernikos and Dourekas, will attend the event in the US; in fact, Strategic Advisor to the Administration Mr. Karembeu will deliver his speech on June 2nd, at 10.30 am local time. Amongst other, the conference will be attended by invited members of the academia and historians from around the world, as well as football legends such as Emilio Butragueño and Lilian Thuram. Mrs. Stephen Ortega and Sven Beckett (Simons College and Harvard University respectively) will feature amongst keynote speakers.
The effort continues; football and sports in general have many things to give to our society. Olympiacos stretches out a hand to the University of Harvard and associates in this great cause of theirs, since our Club knows perfectly well hand what supporting our fellow people means. The mandate of Mr. Evangelos Marinakis, for Olympiacos to always lead the way in the context of Social Activities and return people’s endless love back to them is being implemented in various ways; and so it will continue to be!
