This weekend June 3rd and 4th, 2017, the annual Greek Canadian Games will be taking place at Bill Crothers Secondary School. The Greek-Canadian Games is a non-profit organisation that connects and engages Greek-Canadian youth from across Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area through sport and competition, while promoting Greek culture, community, and a healthy lifestyle.
This year, over 400 young athletes of Greek decent are registered for a weekend of various sporting and social events. They will be led by over 160 local volunteers. Participants can expect to take part in a variety of individual and team sports including track and field, ball hockey, basketball, and soccer.
“We are absolutely thrilled about our upcoming Sold Out Annual Greek-Canadian Games! We love being Greek, we love being Canadian, and we are honoured to have created an event that will give back to our local community and connect us all for years to come”, states the head of the committee, Dr. Frank (Fotis) Karantonis.
Each year The Greek-Canadian Games welcomes a past Olympian Athlete as the role of the Global Ambassador: a role model to the athletes and the face of The Games. The Greek-Canadian Games is thrilled to have Olympic Gold Medallist from Greece, Ioannis Melissanidis, as the Global Ambassador for the 2017 Games.
Along with the Global Ambassador are also the Community Ambassadors, Marissa Papaconstantinou, who competed at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games; and Kristin Papaconstantinou, a soccer player and student at Bill Crothers Secondary School. The Community Ambassadors bring alive the spirit of the athletes, and have the responsibility of reading the oath at the opening of The Games.
Aside from a weekend filled with sports, participants will also take part in the Opening Ceremony (Saturday morning), Divine Liturgy (Sunday morning), and the Closing Ceremony Panigiri on Sunday afternoon – a first ever event. The Panagiri will provide athletes and volunteers with a free BBQ and souvla (courtesy of sponsors), and will include live music, dancing, scholarship presentations, and most important, the awarding of the Greek-Canadian Games’ House Cup!
For more information, check out greekcanadiangames.com
