Former minister and Heraklion MP Lefteris Avgenakis, commented on recent developments in basketball in an interview with Radio Crete.
1. Bring everything to light, with full respect for the presumption of innocence
“A deeply troubling case in sport, and basketball in particular, has come to light in recent days. I want to stress that the highest value is justice, above personal friendships and connections. So let everything come to light. Justice must assign responsibility wherever it is warranted, and we, as a society, must show in practice that we respect the presumption of innocence”.
2. Term and age limits: an across-the-board reform for all federations
During his tenure, term and age limits were introduced for the boards of all sports federations, and legally registered clubs were given the right to vote in their elections.
As he stressed, this was a longstanding demand of Olympic and Paralympic medallists, leading athletes and their representative bodies. He took it to Parliament, where it became law.
“The provision was not tailor-made for anyone. It applied across the board to all federations. In the 2021 election cycle, elections brought changes of presidents and boards in 23 of the 27 federations”, he said, citing the Hellenic Basketball Federation, the Hellenic Football Federation, the Hellenic Athletics Federation and the swimming, sailing, gymnastics, equestrian, tennis, rowing, golf and judo federations as examples.
He recalled that, among others, Lefteris Petrounias, Voula Kozoboli, Christos Volikakis, Panagiotis Mantis, Pavlos Kagialis, Nikos Kaklamanakis, Pyrros Dimas, Panagiotis Fasoulas and Grigoris Polychronidis had publicly supported renewal and this framework.
3. Meaningful representation for athletes and coaches
The mandatory participation of athlete and coach representatives on federation boards was enshrined in law, fulfilling another longstanding demand of the sporting community.
Mr Avgenakis linked the renewal of federation boards and a stronger voice for athletes with creating an environment of greater trust.
He also referred to the #MeToo movement in sport, when athletes overcame their fear and reported what they had experienced.
4. The Macolin Convention and EPATHLA to combat match-fixing
In November 2019, Law 4639/2019 ratified the Macolin Convention on the manipulation of sports competitions, resolving an outstanding issue dating back to 2014.
The same law also introduced urgent measures to tackle violence in sport.
This was followed in December 2020 by the establishment of the National Platform for Sports Integrity - EPATHLA, with participation, among others, by the head of the National Transparency Authority, a representative of the Hellenic Police and a sports prosecutor.
Mr Avgenakis said that “some people should be asked why ratification and legislation of this convention had been left on the shelf since 2014”.
He said these measures addressed the need for stronger oversight, transparency and accountability, with the aim of protecting athletes and referees and safeguarding the integrity of competitions.
5. Professional Sports Committee: transparency with parliamentary approval
Article 3 of Law 4809/2021 provided for the appointment of members of the Professional Sports Committee following an opinion from Parliament’s Committee on Institutions and Transparency.
He explained that the ministerial appointment decision had been amended to include a parliamentary consultation process, with the aim of making the selection of members more transparent.
6. Possible individual responsibility does not invalidate the reform
“The state’s cooperation with elected boards does not imply acceptance of any potentially illegal acts. Any individual responsibility does not invalidate a reform that answered a longstanding demand of the sporting community”, he stressed.
He added that athletes themselves had called for renewal, believing that presidents who had spent decades at the helm of federations had completed their period of service.
7. No one can toy with children’s dreams and their parents’ sacrifices
“Match-fixing undermines the credibility of sport. If the allegations are proven, those responsible must be held to account with the utmost rigour. I say this as a parent, a citizen and a politician: no one can toy with children’s dreams and their parents’ sacrifices”, Mr Avgenakis concluded.