In the difficult effort to integrate refugees, he noted: "sport allows us to speed up the process, as it can serve as a vehicle for smooth integration and integration."
Mitarakis also announced a series of programs for integration through sports including a heptathlon with refugees from six regions of Attica.
The online seminar 'Sports, Refugees, Integration' was co-organised by the Institute of International Relations-Greece and the International Olympic Truce Center.
Last week, a Greek official responsible for educating refugees was fired for making racist comments about Giannis Antetokounmpo, whose parents emigrated from Nigeria to Greece.
Konstantinos Kalemis, the coordinator for refugee education in the Malakassa camp north of Athens, called Antetokounmpo a "monkey" on Twitter after the NBA Most Valuable Player denounced racism in Greek society.
Kalemis later deleted the post but the original comment was unacceptable to Education Minister Niki Kerameus.