President Nikos Christodoulides on Wednesday announced a special €50,000 government grant for Keravnos Strovolou as the sports club marked 100 years since its foundation.

Speaking at an event celebrating the club’s centenary, Christodoulides said the funding would help cover its various needs and described the grant as a symbolic contribution in recognition of Keravnos’ century-long contribution to Cypriot sport and society.

“It is a symbolic contribution, very small compared with the club’s longstanding contribution over its 100-year history,” he said.

Founded in 1926, before the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus, Keravnos began with football and athletics before developing into one of the country’s leading basketball clubs.

Christodoulides said Keravnos had never been simply a sports club, describing it as a centre of culture and social solidarity which had provided generations of young people with opportunities for constructive involvement in sport.

He also highlighted the club’s involvement in what he described as the national, social and cultural struggles of the Cypriot people, saying it had supported the struggle for Cyprus’ freedom and served as a “refuge of values” during difficult periods.

The president said the club’s importance could not be measured solely by its trophies and sporting achievements, pointing instead to the athletes it had developed and the emphasis it had placed on sportsmanship and fair play.

He paid particular tribute to long-serving club president Paris Papaellinas, who has been involved with Keravnos for more than 50 years.

Christodoulides recalled Papaellinas’ career as an athlete with Apoel before joining Keravnos, later serving as vice-president from 1992 and as president since 1997.

Addressing him directly, the president jokingly described Apoel’s decision to let him go to Keravnos as a “huge mistake”.

“Together with the board of directors, the club’s members, coaches, athletes and your loyal supporters, you led the club to the top,” Christodoulides said, congratulating Papaellinas on behalf of the state for his longstanding contribution.

The president said the government would continue supporting the club, particularly its work with young people.

He pointed to Keravnos’ investment in academies and development programmes, saying established clubs had an important role to play at a time when young people faced increasingly complex challenges.

Christodoulides said such work complemented government efforts through the Cyprus Sports Organisation.

As Keravnos enters its second century, he expressed confidence that the club would continue to promote sporting education and contribute to Cypriot society, guided by the principles and values established during its first 100 years.