Athens, Greece, Wednesday, 13 July 2022
The publisher and managing director of The Decision Maker, Mr. Angelos Tsigkopoulos, had the pleasure and honour of meeting Ms. Theotoki Titi Ntolaptsi, President of Olympico Vision, in Athens to discuss the organization's goals.
A few words from the President of Olympico Vision, Theotoki Titi Ntolaptsi
Countries do not expect to profit from ticket sales, but they do hope to gain from the prestige of the competitions and the enhancement of their national image abroad. It is now even more obvious that wealthy countries will have new priorities after the pandemic rather than a battle with Olympic costs and debt, making now the ideal time to re-launch the Games. The pandemic and economic crisis have both jolted the entire world. It should be mentioned that the Olympics have been losing their allure and glamour for some time. While the Olympism Ideas have waned and the Games have ceased to serve as a vehicle for the unification of the populace, movements have even been developed against the Games.
We wouldn't set our sights on something that was thought to be impossible. Although Baron Pierre de Coubertin's initial proposal to revive the Olympic Games was met with mockery and indifference, he was not deterred. After 1500 years, he revived the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896 through tenacity and endurance. Even though it was considerably harder to do, it did. I'm convinced that the target can be achieved based on the responses so far. I think there are people who truly care about our nation and are prepared to sacrifice anything for it, without regard to their own political interests or personal goals, but instead are motivated by a love for the humanitarian ideals that Greece, and therefore the Olympic Games, stand for.
As a true Macedonian, I shall quote the words of Alexander the Great: "There is nothing impossible for him who will try”
Theotoki Titi Ntolaptsi - President, Olympico VisionDM: What is Olympico Vision?
OV: Olympico Vision is a civil non-profit Company, which was established according to the Article 741 of the Civil Code (Civil Code), on 08/12/2020. It was the initiative of Ms. Theotoki-Titi Ntolaptsi. Olympico Vision is a Special Purpose Culture Organization, which upholds the universal Olympic Values and addresses all citizens of this planet, regardless of race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, nationality, sexual orientation or political views. Olympico Vision does not represent any political party and does not serve political purposes
DM: What is the mission of your organisation?
OV: Our mission is the creation of a global stream of supporters, the undertaking of actions, programs and initiatives with credible offices of civil society internationally, in order to contribute to the promotion and implementation of the idea for holding the Olympic Games permanently in Greece with a different Country/City as the organiser each time.
Our efforts are focused on persuading the stakeholders that the Olympic Games returning permanently to their homeland is a one-way move with many advantages for Greece but also for the entire world. We employ all appropriate methods to achieve this, including:
Regular communication with our members
The formation of working groups
The development of campaigns in schools and municipalities
The organisation of speeches and other public events
The organisation of information campaigns involving culture, sport, and tourism both domestically and internationally
The development of collaborative networks with other national and international organisations that have relevant or similar purposes
For this reason, we have launched a global electronic support vote platform, addressed to everyone who believes in our vision. The platform can be reached as below:
For Greek voters
For other voters
DM: How is your organisation funded?
OV: Olympico Vision has three funding sources; our supporters’ program, sponsorships and donations.
Supporters’ Program
Olympico Vision has developed a supporter’s program through which anyone who wishes to closely experience the effort of our vision’s accomplishment can do so by becoming a supporter. The annual fee is 20 Euros; following the payment, every supporter receives the relevant supporter’s card. Eligible supporters are people over 15 years of age, while younger supporters must have the consent of those who act in loco parentis.
The process can be found through the following link.
Sponsorship and Donations
We have adopted a unique approach to our Sponsorship and Donations program, whose target is to further raise awareness of our mission. We are asking our sponsors to become our Strategic Public Relations partners, by sponsoring a social media and/or a full Public Relations campaign in their region.
The relevant link can be found below.
DM: What is your relationship with the Greek state and the International Olympic Committee?
OV: The activities of Olympico Vision are multifaceted. We communicate with prosperous Gulf nations, Greek communities all over the world, intellectual Philhellenes, American senators who currently support Olympico Vision in numerous ways, and several groups in Greece.
We are aware of the IOC's influence, but we have not established a relationship with the organisation as yet. We believe that as our work is at a premature stage, it would be wise to initiate the contact at a later stage. We firmly believe that our hard work will attract IOC's attention and we are confident that they will eventually adopt our vision.
Our vision is already being spread around the world by our ambassadors in Pittsburgh, London, Latin America, and Cyprus. We are confident that Olympico Vision will work with Mr. Mitsotakis' administration as well as any other Greek administration because the permanent holding of the Olympic Games in Greece represents a national accomplishment with long-term economic and geopolitical significance.
DM: How does Greece and the different countries/cities benefit from the mission of your organisation?
OV: The benefits that emerge from our mission, do so naturally. We have summarised them into Financial, Ethical and Political.
Financial
The advantages come in many forms, but we must be clear about the financial aspect. Our plan does not suggest holding the Olympic Games in they were organised in 2004. Only the lease and upkeep of the current Greek infrastructure will require funding from IOC. Many nations compete to host the Olympics in the future with the aim of enhancing their sense of national pride and generating income through their hospitality. These advantages, however, are dwarfed by the hefty expense involved in organising such a large event. When compared to the expenditures of building new Olympic facilities in other places every four years, the cost of maintaining the sports facilities in the host nation, Greece, will be minimal.
With the potential to be featured on all internet search engines for the four years previous to the games with the brand name "GREECE," our idea allows less wealthy nations to host the Olympics, as each organising nation seeks to market itself.
Eliminating the bid process for the Games will conserve time and resources, given that the process itself is expensive and time-consuming. Given that a number of countries have withdrawn their candidacies over the past few years mainly due to cost, should Greece hosts the Games permanently, would help governments reduce their cost related to the Games, significantly, while sponsors could shift their sponsorship strategy by donating to charity and projects which promote sportsmanship.
Each organising country will be promoted all over the world and benefit from the success of the organisation in a country like Greece which has always been attractive to tourists. The Organisation of the 2004 Olympic Games shows that Greece, as a developed country and “mother” of the Olympic Games, is ready to repeat the task, anytime, employing its know-how, professionalism and advance technology.
Ethical
Another aspect is the historical one; our proposal is offering the athletes the opportunity to compete in the birthplace of the Olympic Games and feel the energy and the sportsmanship as their co-athletes did in 776 B.C. This is undoubtedly a feeling of a lifetime, considering that through the Olympic values of encouraging effort, preserving human dignity and developing harmony under noble rivalry, people have a great opportunity of adopting a more anthropocentric and honourable approach of life, away from personal interests that harm our society and lead to corruption.
The hosting of the Olympic Games in Greece will provide us with the opportunity to all become better people as a result of putting the Olympic values into practice on both a personal and societal level, while contemporary Greece will become a spiritual leader of the globe.
Political
During a volatile time in International Relations, Greece can be the ground where the Ancient Hellenic idea of the Olympic truce could be materialized, regardless any possible military conflicts at that time. The country’s geopolitical position, the high standards of safety and security and the immense experience of organising large-scale Athletic Events such as the Olympics, are elements which should further embolden the idea.
To summarise, we would like Olympico Vision to be globally perceived as a noble vision of human unity and a message for World Peace.
Learn more about us:
https://olympicovision.com/en/
Vote for us:
For Greek voters
For other voters
Sponsor us:
