From the ruins of invasion, football became an act of resistance and hope, Larnaca mayor Andreas Vyras said on Friday night at a tribute to refugee football clubs, legendary players and the historic teams that kept Cyprus sport alive after 1974.

“Our love for refugee clubs keeps the flame of pride for our origins and history alive,” MEP Michalis Hadjipantela said at the same event, adding that Larnaca had been “a city of refuge for 51 years.”

The event, 51 Years of Refugee Life – Cypriot Football: Citius, Altius, Fortius, took place at the Pattichion Amphitheatre and drew a crowd of around 1,500 people.

The ceremony recognised the endurance of clubs and individuals who represented resilience and unity through sport.

Hadjipantela said the initiative carried deep symbolism, marking over five decades since thousands of Cypriots were displaced by the Turkish invasion.

He thanked its residents for “opening their arms to the displaced and supporting progress and development ever since.”

A highlight of the evening was the recognition of the Lefkaritis family, which in 1974 opened their homes and created a temporary camp that sheltered around 1,500 refugees.

“They showed humanity at a time of despair,” Hadjipantela said, presenting the family with the top award of the night.

The event also featured the premiere of the documentary Agonas Epiviosis (Struggle for Survival) produced with the support of Opap Cyprus. The film tells the story of how football became a vital expression of hope for thousands of refugees rebuilding their lives.

Vyras said that during the early years of displacement, players “used borrowed boots and shirts, travelling by hitchhiking to reach makeshift fields.”

Football, he added, “offered comfort to wounded souls and became a miracle in the darkness.”

Deputy Tourism Minister Costas Koumis, speaking on behalf of President Nikos Christodoulides, praised the refugee clubs for their endurance and reaffirmed state support for their continued efforts.

Honours were given to the Alki Larnaca club, the Evagoras Gymnastic Club of Famagusta, which has produced Olympic athletes, the Asil Lysi club, and football figure Stavros Papadopoulos.

It was organised by Hadjipantela, the European People’s Party, and the veteran footballers’ associations of Anorthosis and Nea Salamina.