Among other things, the president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, Vangelis Liolios, spoke about the Greek national basketball team during a press conference summarizing his tenure, which also marked the fifth anniversary of his presidency of the Federation.
Although he initially began his remarks on the women’s division by expressing his optimism for upcoming tournaments, he said:
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
“As for the women’s national team, we narrowly missed advancing at the previous EuroBasket. Now we’re in a very good position for upcoming tournaments. I remember back in 2022, when we had qualified for the 2023 World Cup; Turkey had been eliminated, and then… they really stepped it up. Sometimes a failure can help you become better. I’m always self-critical; the person who doesn’t make mistakes is the one who doesn’t do anything.
Out of 10 things you do, 4 will be wrong; the key is to correct them and listen. Mistakes have been made at the federation as well—starting with me. Lately, we’ve had a poor showing in the qualifiers, and that’s my personal responsibility. When something goes wrong, the responsibility lies with the administration. That’s why I think we’ll make it to the World Cup. Greece always pulls it off at the last minute; it motivates us when someone says we won’t make it.
We have an excellent coach, an excellent staff, and players we believe in completely. We can qualify for the World Cup and do well there. And for the women’s team, qualifying for EuroBasket is our goal.”
*photo source: KYPE
