Athanasios Lefkaditis el, Αθανάσιος Λευκαδίτης (1872 in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

-June 18, 1944 in Athens) was the founder of Greek Scouting. Lefkaditis was born in 1872 to parents from

Argostoli Argostoli ( el, Αργοστόλι, Katharevousa: Ἀργοστόλιον) is a town and a municipality on the island of Kefalonia, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2019 local government reform it is one of the three municipalities on the island ...

Cephalonia Kefalonia or Cephalonia ( el, Κεφαλονιά), formerly also known as Kefallinia or Kephallenia (), is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece and the 6th largest island in Greece after Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Rhodes and Chios. It i ...

in the Ionian Islands in western

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. In 1899 he received his professional physical education teaching license. His love for sports led him to become director of the Panhellenic Gymnastics Association working with professor

Dimitris Makris Dimitrios Makris ( el, Δημήτριος Μακρής, 1772–1841) was a Greek klepht and armatolos who was one of the most powerful chieftains in West Central Greece. He joined the Filiki Eteria and became a revolutionary during the Greek War ...

(Δημήτρης Μακρής). During the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were ori ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, as a member of the Greek delegation, Lefkaditis observed with interest the British Scouts' service and activities at the Games. He met with

Robert Baden-Powell Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; (Commonly pronounced by others as ) 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder and first Chief Scout of the worl ...

and shortly after, introduced Scouting in Greece in 1910. In November 1910 he founded the first group of Greek Scouts with Dimitris Makris. He was memorialized in 1963 on a postage stamp of Greece for the occasion of the

11th World Scout Jamboree The 11th World Scout Jamboree was held 1–11 August 1963 in Marathon, Greece. Jamboree activities The Jamboree Camp had 11 sub-camps for the participating Scouts and 5 sub-camps for administrative and technical personnel, and covered a total are ...

, held 1–11 August 1963 in

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

References

External links

Ο Αθανάσιος Λευκαδίτης στη Σχολή Ι.Μ.Παναγιωτόπουλου
1872 births 1944 deaths Scouting and Guiding in Greece Panellinios {{Greece-bio-stub