The Rise of Greek Swimming is Due to a Water Polo Man
Swimming was never the No.1 sport of Greece, not even No.1 in aquatics. But everything changed when Kiriakos Giannopoulos took command of the Hellenic Swimming Federation in 2021. Three years later, at the 2024 Games, Apostolos Christou won Greece’s first Olympic medal in swimming since 1896.
Water polo and artistic swimming were the sports the Hellenic Aquatics Federation focused on before 2021, when Dimitris Diathesopoulos was the president. He was a former water polo referee and wanted his sport to be No. 1 in Greece, which he made happen. During his presidency, the men’s national team won two bronze medals at the World Aquatics Championships (2005, 2015) and the women’s team won silver at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004 and three silvers at the European Championships (2010, 2012, 2018).
Every success is welcome and appreciated, but it was time for swimming to rise and Giannopoulos recognized an opportunity when he took over. Since Giannopoulos took command, medals have been collected at every major championship. And on the road to the 2028 Olympic Games, young talents in Greece have been provided funding to attend training camps and prepare for the big events.
At the 2021 European Championships in Budapest, Greek swimmers won six medals, with Anna Ntountounaki becoming a European Champion in 100 butterfly for the first time in her career. A few months later, at the 2021 European Short Course Championships in Kazan, Greece collected five medals, including Andreas Vazaios’ gold in the 200 individual medley.
In 2022, Christou just missed becoming Greece’s third swimmer to win a medal at the World Championships, after Aris Grigoriadis (2005, gold in 50 backstroke) and Kristian Gkolomeev (2019, silver in 50 freestyle). Christou finished fifth in the final of 100 backstroke, but the disappointment of that race led him to the bronze medal in 2024 at the World Championships in Doha, then to the silver medal at Paris Olympic Games in the 200 backstroke.
But it’s not only Christou who has made an impact for Greek swimming. At the 2024 European Championships, Greece won 17 medals and placed second in the medal table. Apostolos Siskos, Stergios Bilas, Georgia Damasioti and Vangelis Makrygiannis won their first medals at the senior level, and they continue to make progress. More, at the 2025 European U-23 Championships, Damasioti and Siskos won gold medals in the 200 butterfly and 200 backstroke, while Artemis Vasilaki won the 1500 freestyle.
A new era has launched in Greek swimming, the bar elevated for greater things to come.
Greek Swimming Medals Since Kiriakos Giannopoulos Took Over Hellenic Swimming Federation
2020 European Aquatics Championships
- Anna Ntountounaki – gold – 100 butterfly
- Kristian Gkolomeev – bronze – 50 freestyle
- Apostolos Christou – bronze – 100 backstroke
2021 European Short Course Swimming Championships
- Andreas Vazaios – gold – 200 medley
- Anna Ntountounaki – silver – 100 butterfly
- Andreas Vazaios – silver – 100 medley
- Apostolos Christou – bronze – 100 backstroke
- Anna Ntountounaki – bronze – 50 butterfly
2022 European Aquatics Championships
- Apostolos Christou – gold – 50 backstroke
- Apostolos Christou – silver – 100 backstroke
- Kristian Gkolomeev – bronze – 50 freestyle
2023 European Short Course Swimming Championships
- Anna Ntountounaki – gold – 50 butterfly
- Anna Ntountounaki – bronze – 100 butterfly
- Andreas Vazaios – bronze – 100 medley
- Apostolos Papastamos – bronze – 400 medley
- Greek relay – bronze – 4X50 freestyle
2024 World Aquatics Championships
- Apostolos Christou – bronze – 100 backstroke
2024 European Aquatics Championships
- Kristian Gkolomeev – gold – 50 freestyle
- Apostolos Christou – gold – 50 backstroke
- Apostolos Christou – gold – 100 backstroke
- Stergios Bilas – gold – 50 butterfly
- Apostolos Papastamos – gold – 400 medley
- Stergios Bilas – silver – 50 freestyle
- Theodora Drakou – silver – 50 freestyle
- Dimitris Markos – silver – 400 freestyle
- Dimitris Markos – silver – 800 freestyle
- Theodora Drakou – silver – 50 backstroke
- Vangelis Makrygiannis – silver – 100 backstroke
- Apostolos Siskos – silver – 200 backstroke
- Georgia Damasioti – silver – 100 butterfly
- Vangelis Makrygiannis – bronze – 50 backstroke
- Anna Ntountounaki – bronze – 50 butterfly
- Greek relay – bronze – 4X100 freestyle
- Greek relay – bronze – 4X200 freestyle
2024 Summer Olympics
- Apostolos Christou – silver – 200 backstroke
Greek Swimming Medals Prior to Kiriakos Giannopoulos
1996 European Short Course Swimming Championships
- Dimitris Manganas – bronze – 400 freestyle
2002 European Aquatics Championships
- Greek relay – bronze – 4X200 freestyle
2002 European Short Course Swimming Championships
- Akis Oikonomou – bronze – 400 freestyle
2004 European Aquatics Championships
- Nery Niangkouara – bronze – 100 freestyle
2005 World Aquatics Championships
- Aris Grigoriadis – gold – 50 backstroke
2005 European Short Course Swimming Championships
- Romanos Alyfantis – silver – 100 breaststroke
2006 European Aquatics Championships
- Aris Grigoriadis – silver – 50 backstroke
- Aris Grigoriadis – bronze – 100 backstroke
- Giannis Drymonakos – silver – 200 butterfly
- Nery Niangkouara – bronze – 100 freestyle
- Greek relay – bronze – 4X200 freestyle
2006 European Short Course Swimming Championships
- Giannis Drymonakos – bronze – 400 medley
2007 European Short Course Swimming Championships
- Giannis Drymonakos – bronze – 200 butterfly
- Giannis Drymonakos – bronze – 400 medley
2008 European Aquatics Championships
- Aris Grigoriadis – gold – 50 backstroke
- Giannis Drymonakos – gold – 200 butterfly
- Aris Grigoriadis – silver – 100 backstroke
- Giannis Drymonakos – silver – 400 medley
2008 FINA World Swimming Championships
- Giannis Drymonakos – bronze – 400 medley
2010 European Aquatics Championships
- Giannis Drymonakos – bronze – 200 butterfly
2012 European Aquatics Championships
- Aris Grigoriadis – gold – 100 backstroke
- Panagiotis Samilidis – bronze – 50 breaststroke
- Panagiotis Samilidis – bronze – 100 breaststroke
- Giannis Drymonakos – bronze – 200 butterfly
- Giannis Drymonakos – bronze – 400 butterfly
- Nery Niangkouara – bronze – 50 freestyle
2015 European Short Course Swimming Championships
- Andreas Vazaios – bronze – 100 medley
2016 European Aquatics Championships
- Andreas Vazaios – gold – 200 medley
- Apostolos Christou – bronze – 100 backstroke
2017 European Short Course Swimming Championships
- Andreas Vazaios – silver – 200 butterfly
- Andreas Vazaios – silver – 200 medley
2018 European Aquatics Championships
- Kristian Gkolomeev – silver – 50 freestyle
- Apostolos Christou – bronze – 100 backstroke
2019 European Short Course Swimming Championships
- Andreas Vazaios – gold – 200 butterfly
- Andreas Vazaios – gold – 200 medley
- Andreas Vazaios – bronze – 100 medley
- Anna Ntountounaki – bronze – 100 butterfly
2019 World Aquatics Championships
- Kristian Gkolomeev – silver – 50 backstroke
