Giorgos Sabanis: My Biggest Regret…

Giorgos Sabanis opened up about his relationship with sports, the reasons he had to quit track and field, and revealed his biggest musical dream: to write a song for Haris Alexiou.

Discussing his ideal musical collaboration, Sabanis revealed on Stavros Theodorakis’ podcast, “My greatest regret is not having composed a song for Haroula Alexiou. Unfortunately, I know it will remain a dream since she has retired from singing. She’s my most beloved singer; her voice captivates me. Haris’s music has captured all my emotions and experiences.”

In another part of the interview, the singer described his childhood, his parents’ divorce, and his early musical inclination. He said, “I never imagined my life would be like this. I grew up in Argyroupoli, and my parents divorced when I was very young. We lived in Aspropyrgos because my father was a professor there, and when my parents divorced, we moved with my mother to Argyroupoli. In 1989, my parents divorced, I lived with my sister and mother, and we saw my father every other weekend.”

“My mother realized that I loved music and enrolled me in a conservatory when I was six years old. I grew up surrounded by dancing because my parents were traditional dance teachers. I listened to Haris Alexiou from morning to night,” the singer added.

Sabanis also mentioned his involvement in sports during his adolescence and how his love for track and field began. “I started doing sports when I was 14. From the age of six to 14, I played the guitar. One day, on a whim, I found myself on the track. A friend of mine, who was 13, had fallen in love with a girl who played volleyball. But I didn’t tell my mother because she would say I was skipping classes.”

“We reached the track to find around 20 kids running. My friend headed to the volleyball court to meet his girlfriend. Meanwhile, a coach asked me, ‘Aren’t you going to run?’ I felt compelled to join in, despite that not being my original plan. That’s how I began track and field. Later, I shared the news with my mother, declaring my intention to continue.”

Sabanis disclosed the factors that led to the premature end of his athletic pursuits. “I secured numerous medals and even participated in world championships. If it weren’t for my friend’s suggestion to visit his girlfriend, I might never have pursued track and field. My commitment spanned 11 years. My preference was to remain with the coach who had selected me for the track, but there was a push to switch coaches. The negative environment during training sessions could be why I never fully embraced my athletic career.”

Ultimately, he expressed his unfulfilled aspiration to compete in the Olympic Games. “The challenges faced by an athlete are beyond compare to those of a singer. It was with a heavy heart that I left track and field, having not achieved what I was capable of. The Olympics were always my dream. I have a deep passion for sports. The closest I came was participating in the opening ceremony of the 2004 Olympics, but not as a competitor. My qualification for the 2004 Olympics was thwarted when I broke my leg in May.”

See 20 years ago, Giorgos Sabanis, unrecognizable at the Opening Ceremony of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games