The Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) ( el, Ελληνική Ολυμπιακή Επιτροπή) is the governing Olympic body of Greece. It is the second oldest

National Olympic Committee A National Olympic Committee (NOC) is a national constituent of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, NOCs are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games ...

in the world (after the French Olympic Committee), it organizes the country's representatives at the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...

and other multi-sport events. Members of the committee are 27 sports federations, which elect the Executive Council composed of the president and six members. It is based 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 a ...

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 wi ...

History

The history of the Hellenic Olympic Committee is strongly connected to the history of the revival of the Olympic Games. It was founded in Athens on February 3, 1894 with the name Committee of the Olympic Games ( el, Επιτροπής Ολυμπιακών Αγώνων, E.O.A.) and became a member of the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swis ...

in 1895. E.O.A organized

1896 Summer Olympics The 1896 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 1896, Therinoí Olympiakoí Agónes 1896), officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 1ης Ολυμπιάδας, Agónes tis 1is Ol ...

, first in modern history, in restored

Panathenaic Stadium The Panathenaic Stadium ( el, Παναθηναϊκό Στάδιο, Panathinaïkó Stádio, ), as spelled by Philostratus. or ''Kallimarmaro'' (Καλλιμάρμαρο, , lit. "beautiful marble") is a multi-purpose stadium in Athens, Greece. ...

, who was held from 6 to 15 April. In 1899, Greek government gave to E.O.A. full responsibility to cooperate with other sport federations, spreads the Olympic spirit and its structure of the 12 members, led by the president. When Athens was chosen as the host city of the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

during the 106th IOC Session held in

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...

on 5 September 1997, in 2000 the E.O.A. changed its name to the Hellenic Olympic Committee. From the I

Mediterranean Games The Mediterranean Games is a multi-sport event organised by the International Committee of Mediterranean Games (CIJM). It is held every four years among athletes from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea in Africa, Asia and Europe. The ...

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

in 1951, Hellenic Olympic Committee is responsible for their holding every four years as part of preparations for the

. The HOC organises the lighting ceremony of the

Olympic flame The Olympic flame is a symbol used in the Olympic movement. It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games. Several months before the Olympic Games, the Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece. This ceremony starts the Olymp ...

in Ancient Olympia for

ceremonies A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin, via the Latin '' caerimonia''. Church and civil (secula ...

of the

Summer Summer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, the earliest sunrise and latest sunset occurs, daylight hours are longest and dark hours are shortest, wit ...

and

Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...

, as well as the Olympic torch relay over Greece, before the Flame continues its journey in the host country of the Olympic Games.

List of presidents

IOC Members

Executive committee

The committee of the HOC is represented by: * President: Spyros Capralos * Vice President: Stelios Aggeloudis * Secretary General: Emmanuel Kolympadis * Treasurer: Antonis Nikolopoulos * Members: Aristidis Adamopoulos, Polyxeni Argeitaki, Ioannis Karras, Nikos Iatrou

Member federations

The Hellenic National Federations are the organizations that coordinate all aspects of their individual sports. They are responsible for training, competition and development of their sports. There are currently 26 Olympic Summer and one Winter Sport Federations in Greece.

Objects of the HOC

The Hellenic Olympic Committee operates a number of sports facilities:

, Karaiskakis Stadium,

Athens Olympic Aquatic Centre The Athens Olympic Aquatic Centre is a complex at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex, consisting of two outdoor pools and one indoor pool, that was built for the 1991 Mediterranean Games. It was refurbished and expanded for the 2004 Summer Olympics ...

, the education facilities of the

International Olympic Academy The International Olympic Academy (IOA) is the main educational and cultural institution for the International Olympic Committee. Established in 1948, the IOA is located near the archeological site of ancient Olympia, Greece. The goal of the I ...

, Museum of Modern Olympic Games in Ancient Olympia; and participates in the management of

OAKA The Olympic Athletic Center of Athens Spiros Louis ( el, Ολυμπιακό Αθλητικό Κέντρο Αθηνών "Σπύρος Λούης", ''Olympiakó Athlitikó Kéntro Athinón "Spýros Loúis"'') or OACA ()), is a sport facilities co ...

.The premises of the HOC
/ref>

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Greece at the Olympics National Olympic Committees

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

1894 establishments in Greece Sports organizations established in 1894