The Plenary Session of the Hellenic Olympic Committee has decided that Giannis Antetokounmpo and Antigoni Drisbioti will be the flag bearers for Greece at the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The decision for Antetokounmpo was unanimous, while Drisbioti, the race-walking champion, was chosen after a vote among four female athletes: Maria Sakkari, Antigoni Drisbioti, Evangelia Platanioti, and Margarita Plevritou.
After the vote, HOC President Spyros Capralos stated, “From the beginning, together with the mission leader Mr. Petros Synadinos, we proposed having two flag bearers at the Olympic Games. There was a significant discussion about whether there should be one or two, and we ultimately followed the directive of the International Olympic Committee for two flag bearers, embracing the spirit of the times and maintaining the effort for gender equality. There was unanimity for Giannis, but for the women, there was a vote among particularly distinguished champions who have honored Greece, as mandated by the democratic process. Ultimately, Antigoni was chosen, and I want to congratulate both her and Giannis for their selection. I am confident they will represent our country with pride. I also want to congratulate the other three champions who participated in the vote.”
The Hellenic Olympic Committee, following the customary procedure for selecting the flag bearer, contacted Olympic medalists before the session. However, both Miltos Tentoglou and Katerina Stefanidi requested not to be flag bearers to avoid disrupting their preparation schedules for the Olympic Games.
Additionally, the schedules of the athletes competing the next day were taken into consideration to ensure they were not exhausted before their events.
The Plenary Session also unanimously decided to propose Spyros Capralos for president of the European Olympic Committees, seeking a second term.
Finally, the request of Panathinaikos BC to use the Panathenaic Stadium on September 21-22 for the Pavlos Giannakopoulos tournament was unanimously approved.
Antigoni Drisbioti was born in Karditsa and for the past two years (2023-2024), she has been dividing her time between Greece and Australia (Melbourne). Antigoni Drisbioti at the Neos Kosmos office. Photo: Neos Kosmos
About the flag bearers
Giannis Antetokounmpo was born in Athens on December 6, 1994. The Greek international basketball player, standing at 2.11 meters, began his career with Filathlitikos. In 2013, he was selected 15th in the NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, where he continues to play. He has developed into one of the top players in the NBA and the Greek National Team, with over 49 appearances.
In 2017, he became the first player in NBA history to finish in the top 20 in all five statistical categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks). That same year, he was named the Most Improved Player and participated in his first NBA All-Star Game. He has been an All-Star six times.
In 2019 and 2020, the Bucks’ great leader was named NBA MVP. In 2021, Giannis, known as ‘The Greek Freak’, won his first NBA title with the Bucks after 50 years, also earning the Finals MVP award. He is included in the NBA’s 75th-anniversary team of the greatest players in history.
Antigoni Drisbioti was born in Karditsa on March 21, 1984. She lives and trains there to this day, except for the past two years (2023-2024), when she has split her time between Greece and Australia. She has competed with the National Team in international competitions of all categories. For a long time, she had stopped race walking and high-level competition, but she made a comeback, and success followed. She has participated in two Olympic Games (2016, 2021), World and European Championships, won a bronze medal at the Mediterranean Games in 2013, a gold medal at the European Team Championships (2021), and a silver medal in the team standings at both the World (2022) and European Team Championships (2021). In 2021, she finished eighth at the Tokyo Olympics. Her standout year was 2022, when she won two gold medals (20 km and 35 km race walking) at the European Championships in Munich, achieving something no other Greek athlete had done before. Earlier in the season, she finished fourth at the World Championships in Oregon.
Additionally, Drisbioti holds a degree from the Gymnastics Academy of the School of Physical Education and Sports Science and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Sports Management for People with Disabilities at the University of Peloponnese.