An important step toward promoting awareness, prevention, and responsibility, with a focus on youth and the sports community, is being taken by the Cyprus Olympic Committee (COC) and the National Betting Authority (NBA) with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.
The Memorandum was signed on Thursday, September 24, at the Olympic Hall, in the Allwyn “Eu Agonizesthai,” as part of a press conference hosted by the Cyprus Olympic Committee.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The Memorandum of Cooperation, which will be in effect for three years, establishes a framework for coordinated actions between the two organizations, with the aim of promoting safe play, strengthen prevention efforts, and foster healthy attitudes and behaviors, particularly among young people.
Georgios Chrysostomou: “Sports can serve as a powerful tool for awareness and prevention”
The President of the Cyprus Olympic Committee, Mr. Georgios Chrysostomou, referring to the collaboration, he emphasized the importance of harnessing the power of sports to educate and raise awareness among the public, particularly the younger generation. “The collaboration between the Cyprus Olympic Committee and the National Betting Authority is an important initiative through which sports can serve as a powerful tool for education, prevention, and raising awareness. “We want to help foster a culture of responsibility and self-protection, particularly among young people, by leveraging the momentum of sporting events and the role of athletes as role models,” said Mr. Chrysostomou. “Through this partnership, the National Betting Authority is fulfilling its mission in the areas of education and prevention, and at the same time, we are helping to further promote and highlight the principles and values of Olympism. Responsibility, respect, discipline, and self-protection are values at the core of sports, and we want to convey them with even greater force to the younger generation,” he added.
Panagiotis Trisokkas: “Through such partnerships, we continue to invest in initiatives that make a meaningful contribution to educating and protecting society.”
For his part, the President of the National Betting Authority, Mr. Panagiotis Trisokkas, emphasized the importance of the collaboration between the two organizations. As he noted, “The development of our cooperation with the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) effectively demonstrates the implementation of the National Betting Authority’s Safe Gaming Strategy. Sports, through concepts such as the athletic ideal and fair play, serve as a powerful tool for prevention, as they foster values, strengthen social cohesion, and promote healthy choices, especially among younger people. Through such partnerships, we continue to invest in initiatives that make a meaningful contribution to educating and protecting society.”
Partnership Focused on Youth and Prevention
Under the Memorandum, the Cyprus Olympic Committee and the National Betting Authority will collaborate to design and implement joint information and awareness campaigns on safe gambling, with a focus on sporting events, competitions, and activities organized by the COC. At the same time, the Memorandum provides for the development and promotion of educational programs and workshops for athletes, coaches, sports officials, and young people, with the aim of enhancing knowledge and understanding of the risks associated with gambling and fostering self-protection skills.
Particular emphasis will be placed on integrating responsible gambling messages into activities and initiatives that promote sports and a healthy lifestyle, leveraging the role of athletes as positive role models for the younger generation.
The partnership also includes the exchange of expertise and best practices in the areas of prevention, early intervention, and citizen protection.
Through this partnership, the two Parties aim to harness the power and influence of sports so that messages of responsibility, prevention, and self-protection can reach society—and young people in particular—in a meaningful and direct way.
At the same time, this partnership highlights the broader social role of sports and its ability to convey the principles and values of Olympism—such as respect, responsibility, discipline, self-protection, and the pursuit of continuous improvement.
The three-year duration of the Memorandum provides the necessary framework for the development and implementation of a coherent program of joint actions, with the aim of ensuring that the collaboration between the Cyprus Olympic Committee and the National Betting Authority becomes a sustained effort with a meaningful social and educational impact.
