The “Together in Sport – Phase II” initiative reached its official milestone on Thursday, July 9, 2026, when organizers, participants, and local partners gathered at the Marathon Run Museum for a celebratory closing event, according to metadrasi.org. Spanning five years, the initiative enabled upwards of 24,000 local youngsters and refugee children to join together on equal footing across 200 athletic activities.
Coordinated by METAdrasi alongside the Hellenic Olympic Committee and the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), the program used sport and culture to foster social cohesion and physical well-being. Funding and institutional backing came from the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) alongside the AMIF (2021-2027), with support from the General Secretariat for Vulnerable Persons and Institutional Protection within the Ministry of Migration and Asylum.
Program Reach, Scope, and Municipal Integration
Launched in its second phase on September 15, 2023, following an initial 2021–2022 cycle that engaged more than 9,000 refugee children and children of local communities, “Together in Sport – Phase II” targeted children aged 7–17 and young adults aged 18–21. According to metadrasi.org, refugee children accounted for half of the programme’s participants. Many lived in camps and accommodation facilities, making the anticipation of leaving those sites for sports sessions especially intense and moving, complemented by activities organised within camps.
The initiative operated free of charge in cooperation with municipalities across various regions of Greece. Its framework emphasized the inclusion of minors and young people with physical or mental disabilities, introducing them to Olympic sports, cultural values, and cultural events alongside peers from local communities.
Infrastructure Legacies Left Across Greek Regions
Beyond temporary training sessions and tournaments, “Together in Sport” created infrastructure designed to be freely available to everyone. According to metadrasi.org, these installations include:
- Two beach volleyball courts recently inaugurated in Mytilene
- An outdoor fully equipped gym park in Ioannina
- A renovated basketball court in Kavala
- An outdoor gym in Piraeus, which is expected to be completed in September
The Marathon Run Museum Closing Event
The July 9 closing event at the Marathon Run Museum featured welcoming remarks from key institutional figures. A message from Deputy Minister of Migration and Asylum Sevi Voloudaki welcomed the event. Heracles Moskoff, Secretary General for Vulnerable Persons and Institutional Protection, spoke about sport as a means of inclusion, pointing to the example of the World Cup, where many players are second- and third-generation descendants of migrants and refugees who now represent the national teams of their host countries.
METAdrasi President Lora Pappa, Voula Kozompoli of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, Agi Kasoumi representing the General Secretariat of Sports, Karin Patok from the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, and Antoni Tobias on behalf of the German Olympic Sports Confederation also offered welcoming statements.
In the outdoor area of the museum, 120 refugee children from nearby accommodation facilities and children from local communities engaged in five sports through specially designed activities under the guidance of Hellen Olympic Committee coaches. The gathering concluded with every child receiving a medal.
Next Steps and Future Oversight
