By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
In a move that few expected, presidential candidate Panagiotis Fasoulas (photo) convinced Greek Hall-of-Famer Nick Galis (photo) to accept the position of honorary president in the Greek national federation, provided that Fasoulas will be elected as president.
With longtime president George Vasilakopoulos forced to retire due to the age limit of the new Greek sports law, Greek basketball legend Panagiotis Fasoulas, former Promitheas Patras president Vaggelis Liolios, and Greek federation’s council of championships member Aggelos Papanikolaou are the three presidential candidates.
It’s a symbolic move, however, it has to be noted that Galis has been at odds with the Greek basketball federation and Vasilakopoulos since 1990. Despite being the player who changed the fate of the sport in Greece, due to this personal conflict Galis never played after 1991 for the Greek national team which he led to Eurobasket gold in 1987. Galis ultimately retired as a player at the start of the 1995-96 season.
The elections after a long delay due to COVID and objections by Vasilakopoulos for the process of voting will be finally held remotely on the 12th of September. With sports federations elections being held in Greece every four years, following the Olympic circle, the basketball federation remains the last which still doesn’t have a new president.