💙🌟The Hellenic Olympians Association first worldwide to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the International FairPlay Passport-Olympia Club program, connecting students from 5 continents!🌟 The International FairPlay Passport – Olympia Club and the Hellenic Olympians Association (HOA) officially strengthened their close and interactive relationship by signing a Memorandum of Understanding to promote Fair Play, Olympic Values, and a healthy lifestyle. Specifically, at the "1896" event hall of the Athens Olympic Museum, the President of HOA, the official organization for all Olympians, Voula Kozomboli OLY, and the General Director of the International FairPlay Passport - Olympia Club, Ioannis Psilopoulos, signed an agreement to promote FairPlay, Olympic ideals, and the promotion of sports, culture, peace, gender equality, and environmental responsibility through engaging youth from around the world. The International FairPlay Passport was created by the Italian Sociologist of Sport Professor Gennaro Testa and is a symbolic document of inclusion from sports to the social sphere, demonstrating that someone embraces and adopts the values of sport, and especially fair play. It is a tool that promotes fairplay and, inspired by sport, projects its values in all dimensions of social activity and has its permanent headquarters in the Municipality of Ancient Olympia, a place of great symbolism and reference for Olympism. It is founded on the belief that sport’s core values can unite people regardless of where they live or who they are, serving as a behavioral model that inspires both sportsmanship and daily conduct. The involvement of HOA in the program is especially meaningful and symbolic, as the Hellenic Olympians Association are the first worldwide to actively participate in this innovative educational program. The General Director of the International FairPlay Passport Olympia Club, Giannis Psilopoulos, noted in response to a journalist's question that the program is open, and educational institutions of higher levels may be included in the future, if it is as desired, while the Project Manager of the program, Denise Panagopoulou, stated that this year the program is starting on a pilot basis and announced the names of the fifteen schools from all over the world, three schools from each continent, that are participating in the program with great enthusiasm and thanked all the high-profile team of specialized individuals and esteemed professors with many years of experience in the field of education of the values of sports and Olympism from all over the world who have joined forces in a common vision.
For her part, the President of HOA, Voula Kozomboli OLY, noted: "The idea of creating a program that unites schools from the five continents in a common educational and cultural journey, creating a global network of schools for children and teenegers promoting the values of FairPlay as a way of life, through sports and creativity, and a healthy lifestyle, creating an international network of excellence and innovation, excites us!!! The Olympians of Greece, since our foundation, have in our statute the promotion of Olympic education and FairPlay. We have made visits and actions in schools all over Greece to promote this purpose through experiential and highly playful processes! So the time has come to extend our action to students all over the world, and the collaboration with the International FairPlay Passport-Olympia Club gives us this opportunity, for which we declare ourselves enthusiastic. Although located in the city of Florence, Italy, the creator of the IFPP, Professor Gennaro Testa, attended the signing ceremony via teleconference along with the Olympian water polo player (the so-called "Pele of World Water Polo") Gianni DeMagistris OLY and the journalist Roberto Vinciguerra, to whom the President of HOA Voula Kozomboli symbolically awarded – by the hand of Prof. Gennaro Testa- the first 2 passports, for their valuable contribution to the implementation of the program.
Gennaro Testa, an Italian sociologist of sports, is the creator, founder, and copyright holder of the International FairPlay Passport, which aims to develop and implement social actions and educational programs based on the values of FairPlay, from sports to society. www.intrernationalfairplaypassport.com
During the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding were also present the members of the Board of Directors of Hellenic Olympians Association and emblematic Olympian Athletes of our country, Mr. Irini Aindili OLY (rhythmic gymnastics), Agi Kasoumi OLY (shooting), Konstantinos Flegas OLY (water polo), while taking advantage of the coincidence of the Winter Olympic Games that are taking place in Italy at this time, the only Greek Olympian of Snowboard and member of HOA Marousa Pappou OLY, personally handed over her Olympic Heirlooms to the Olympic Museum of Athens, in order to be exhibited in the permanent and/or periodic exhibitions of the Museum! The presentation of the event was made by the journalist Mr. Giannis Stathopoulos.
