President Nikos Christodoulides received a delegation from Olympiacos Piraeus basketball club at the presidential palace on Friday, ahead of the team’s appearance in an international tournament in Nicosia.
Olympiacos, the reigning European champions, are competing in the Neophytos Chandriotis tournament, held from Friday till Sunday at the Tassos Papadopoulos Eleftheria stadium.
Red Star, Aris Thessaloniki and Maccabi Tel Aviv are likewise participating.
Christodoulides told the delegation he was a committed fan of the club. “I want to make it clear from the beginning so that there is no misunderstanding or misinterpretation in what I will say, that I am a proud fan and I follow the team,” he said.
The delegation presented him with two team shirts, one of them signed.
Christodoulides pointed to government investment in sports infrastructure, remarking on some €17 million that had recently been spent on stadium upgrades and that Cyprus had hosted a EuroBasket group as a result.
“The reason we funded all this money was because we consider it an investment for the new generation of our country,” he said.
He added that Limassol’s stadium remained available to Olympiacos should any issue arise over the use of the Aek Athens ground in the meantime.
Olympiacos general manager Nikos Lepeniotis said the club felt “the love of the people” on its visits to Cyprus.
Head coach Giorgos Bartzokas thanked Christodoulides for the welcome and invited him to Athens to watch a match.
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