Panagiotis GIONIS is making his return to the European Championships and the Greek national team is heading to Malmö with their strongest lineup. The top defender was absent due to injury during the 2021 European Championships (in the team event) and the 2022 European Championships (in the individual events). However at the 2023 STUPA European Championships in Sweden he will be back in action and ready to support the team in achieving their goals. This return comes ten years after the historic event for Greece in 2013 when he secured the bronze medal in men’s singles and Greece claimed silver in the men’s team event.
Joining GIONIS in Malmö are Ioannis SGOUROPOULOS Giorgos STAMATOUROS and Konstantinos ANGELAKIS forming a strong team. These four players will complete their final preparations in Brodby Denmark at an international camp organized by the Danish federation where they have been invited to train alongside top international athletes. They will train there until 09/09 and then head directly to Malmö with their head coach Kostas VATSAKLIS. Greece has been drawn into the D group alongside Portugal and Hungary.
“We are delighted to return among Europe’s top teams and eagerly anticipate our time in Sweden. We understand that we face a challenging group and a tough task ahead. Going up against traditional European powerhouses Hungary and Portugal we will strive for the best possible outcome ” remarked Kostas VATSAKLIS.
The women’s national team comprises Katerina TOLIOU Malamatenia PAPADIMITRIOU Konstantina PARIDI and Ioanna GERASIMATOU with national coach Giorgos KARITSAS on the sidelines. Following the draw the team was placed in the 8th group where they will face the host nation Sweden and Spain. Both Greek teams secured their spots in the qualifying stage 2 held in early May in Croatia earning a place among the final 24 national teams.
“Being in the European Championship finals is already a significant achievement for us and we intend to relish our participation. In Malmö we recognize that we have two challenging matches against formidable teams. Sweden playing on their home turf boasts highly skilled athletes. Spain also features strong players in their lineup making them both high-quality teams. Our goal is to be as competitive as possible push our limits and showcase our true capabilities ” stated George KARITSAS.
