Supporting excellence in sports over two decades

 The A. G. Leventis Foundation’s Olympic Preparation Scholarship Programme was set up in 1999 to support talented young athletes from Greece and Cyprus training to compete in summer Olympic individual sports at the forthcoming Olympic Games. In 25 years, over 600 awards have supported athletes in a wide range of sports, such as track and field, rowing, sailing, swimming, diving, fencing, gymnastics, tae kwon do, archery, shooting, and synchronised swimming, playing an important role in helping gifted, determined young athletes rank among the best of the world. Many former scholars stand today among the countries’ leading Olympians, highlighting the programme’s support of excellence in sports, over two decades.  

From 2016 to 2020 the Foundation was joined by The Hellenic Initiative and The John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, who, in recognition of the success of the Olympic Preparation Scholarships Programme after the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games, wished to contribute funds for additional scholarships undertaking a four-year commitment initially intended to culminate with the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games. The programme ran despite the pandemic which led to the postponement of the Tokyo Games, in recognition of the fact that Greek and Cypriot athletes continue to train, despite the adverse conditions, in order to compete in 2021.

Since 2020/21, the Programme has been co-funded by the Hellenic Olympic Committee – with the aim of supporting athletes representing all 28 Federations of Olympic Individual Sports – with the continued support of The John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, also joined, in 2022 by the Cypriot Olympic Committee.

In this way, the four organisations, aiming collectively to foster Olympic values, the love of sports, and the pursuit of excellence, will award 59 scholarships in this new funding cycle, for sporting achievements in individual Olympic sports in 2024/25, to young men and women representing both Greece and Cyprus.