The great celebration of sport and life, as the OPAP All Star Game has rightly been called, once more offered an unforgettable spectacle to the thousands who packed Tassos Papadopoulos-Eleftheria indoor stadium on December 16, 2023.
The 11th OPAP All Star Game, with the slogan “Play by Rules, Drive by Rules”, also sent strong messages about the power of sport to benefit society, in an era plagued by clashing principles and values.
Materialising the wish of a teen embraced by “One Dream One Wish”, the Cyprus Association for Children with Cancer and Related Diseases, demonstrated this power of sport impressively. The youth in question had wished to attend a basketball final at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and his dream will come true thanks to OPAP Cyprus and the Cyprus Olympic Committee, whose chief George Chrysostomou took responsibility for all relevant procedures. The realisation of the wish was announced by OPAP Cyprus CEO Demetris Aletraris.
Strong messages were also sent with the award of OPAP’s “Neophytos Chandriotis” prize, given in memory of the namesake international basketball player and excellent student, who died on December 1, 2015 in a Boston hospital, at the age of 22, after a brave battle with cancer.
The award was presented to the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) for its multifaceted social action, and especially for the establishment of the Student Ethics and Social Contribution Awards by CUT Rector Professor Panagiotis Zafiris. The Awards motivate students to act for the benefit of society via volunteerism and humanitarian ethics. The award was presented, as it is every year, by the late Chandriotis’ father, educator Demitris Chandriotis.
Powering up the event were top sportsmen and women from the OPAP Basketball League, who took part in the traditional, as well as the three-point format, of the game. President Nikos Christodoulides, accompanied by the CEO Aletraris and Cyprus Basketball Federation chief Andreas Mouzourides, cheered their efforts on.
Mouzourides later awarded the winner of the three-point competition, and, on behalf of the Cyprus Basketball Federation, also honoured Cyprus Sports Association president Andreas Michaelides.
The most impressive moments of the event came courtesy of top basketball acrobats Dunking Devils, who were applauded for their amazing feats. Also in attendance were members of the Cyprus Olympic team who offered messages related to road safety and sport’s social dimension.
Delighting the audience with more artistic performances were the Antigone Tasouri Dance Academy and Batukinio percussion group.
Popular “Wheel of Fortune” host Petros Polychronidis co-presented the event a third year running, together with Mix FM Cyprus 102.3 “Breakfast Show” presenters Joanna Lambropoulou and Platon Mouratides. Also presenting was Herodotos Miliadous, with Savvas Kosiaris as coordinator.
The event’s communication sponsors were OMEGA and Sport FM.
OPAP Cyprus, which also offered the prizes to the event’s lucky winners, thanks all the spectators who attended, and who, with their love, established the gathering as a great celebration of sport and life!
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