The 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games are close, so decisions of who are the country flag bearers is coming soon. The Olympic Games Opening Ceremony will be watched worldwide, and the privilege of athletes selected as flag bearers is not lost to those competing.
Athens-born Milwaukee Bucks MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo – The Greek Freak – will lead the procession and carry the flag for Greece in the Opening Ceremony processions. Accompanying him will be Antigoni Drisbioti, considered as the best Greek walker of all time. This is an historic moment for Greece. It says much about the modern Greece, symbolised by the sporting-excellence and diversity. Hellas will be led into the Paris Olympics by a Greek of African descent, and a woman.
Neos Kosmos asked some young Greek Australian readers about their feelings regarding Antetokounmpo as flag bearer, and whom they will support when Greece plays Australia in Group A on August 8 at the Olympics. The responses were overwhelmingly positive, filled with pride. When asked about their allegiance between Australia and Greece, some expressed conflicted emotions but all ultimately felt happy to support either team, seeing it as a win-win situation.
Antetokounmpo who was born in Athens to Nigerian parents has overcome many challenges growing up in Greece as the child of African immigrants. His profound love of Greece and his faith is well documented. Antetokounmpo and his brother Alexandros were baptised on October 28, 2012, at Agios Meletios Church in Athens on “OXI Day”. Antetokounmpo is an inspiration to millions, and particularly Hellenes in Greece and the Diaspora.
His fellow Greek Olympics team-member, champion race walker, Drisbioti is a regular to Australia. It is in Australia where she does much of her training. Drisbioti’s 2024 season began in Australia where the top Greek racewalker competed in a meet in Canberra.
Antetokounmpo will play in the Greek men’s national basketball team. It will be the global basketball star’s first time in the Olympics and representing Greece . After Greece beat Croatia 80-69 in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Greece will compete in Group A of the Paris Games. In media interviews after their win, Antetokounmpo expressed his admiration and respect for his team. “I think as a team we are very hungry… the atmosphere is unbelievable”.
Antetokounmpo and his team have their sights set on gold. Before confirmation that Antetokounmpo would be Greece’s flag bearer, he told Greek media, “If I’m the flag bearer great, if I’m not that’s okay, I’m just… happy that I have a good coach, staff, a good team. I’m in the Olympics, I just want to go compete… and try to make something happen”.
Neos Kosmos spoke with young Greek Australians to gauge their views in Greece’s participation in the Olympics and Antetokounmpo’s role as Greece’s flag bearer.
Epiphany Kiriakidis and her partner David Boterenbrood are avid fans of Antetokounmpo.
“It is only fitting that two-times NBA MVP and Champion is the Greek flagbearer, after bringing [Greece] to our first Olympic basketball appearance in 16 years”, Kiriakidis said.
Having followed Antetokounmpo throughout his career they are “so proud” of the part he is playing in the Olympics this year.
The Timonidis brothers, Jim (21) and Nicholas (17), started following Antetokounmpo after being gifted a jersey each from their aunt. Jim said he started playing basketball due to Antetokounmpo’s influence. “We started watching games and started gaining an interest in the sport. Displaying and appreciating his culture is a big reason… why I follow Giannis and the Bucks.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece is playing during the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024, match between Dominican Republic and Greece at Peace & Friendship Stadium on July 3, 2024. Photo: AAP/Stefanos Kyriazis/IPA via Sipa USA
University of Melbourne student Danial Oveisi has noticed many of his Greek-Australian friends “wear Antetokounmpo’s jersey even if they don’t support his team or watch basketball”.
He says this phenomenon happening because Antetokounmpo is the “most influential Greek basketball player ever and possibly the most prominent Greek athlete at the moment”.
Melbourne-based artist Evan Goulios created an artwork of Antetokounmpo which was first published in a 2022 publication for the Melbourne University Greek Association (MUnGA).
Greece plays Australia in the Group A of the Paris Games which has left young Greek Australians conflicted about which country to support. Greek-Australian Bachelor of Science student John Tzelepis thinks “it is great what Antetokounmpo is doing for Greek sport and even being an inspiration to Greek Australians”, but he has not closely followed Antetokounmpo’s Olympic Games journey as others have. When the two nations play against each other he says he “might skew towards Australia”, but ultimately is not bothered with “who wins in this situation”.
By Friday August 2, many Greek Australians will pause what they’re doing to watch Greece and Australia face off – literally, which identity, or face Greek Australians will wear will be interesting. Either way whoever wins, Greek Australians will savour the victory.