The successful multi-sport club was founded in Piraeus back on March 10, 1925
High-flying Olympiacos celebrates 100th birthday with eyes set on the prize
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A dominant Olympiacos Piraeus may have grabbed an 82-70 victory over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade on Friday night, but what stole the spotlight at the Peace and Friendship Stadium was the pre-game celebrations to honor the club’s 100th birthday.
An emotional video displayed on the jumbotron was followed by the presentation of Olympiacos’s players, who, led by captain Kostas Papanikolaou, proceeded to unfold a banner that wished the team a happy birthday, noting that “100 years are not enough” by quoting a chant created by fans to commemorate the occasion.
Meanwhile, another larger banner was unfurled at the stands depicting the anniversary badge, used by every section of the Greek multi-sport club to celebrate this special year. The logo was surrounded by thousands of chart papers lifted by the fans to form Olympiacos’s signature red-and-white stripes.
The decibels skyrocketed while the starters prepared for the tipoff, with the arena bouncing until the final whistle. In the meantime, wearing the anniversary jersey designed by the club, seven Olympiacos players would score at least 8 points each, with the hosts recording 25 assists to down one of the most in-form teams in the competition.
What better way to celebrate your 100th anniversary than winning by putting on display your signature altruistic, self-sacrificing, next-man-up style of play instilled into the team by head coach Georgios Bartzokas?
“This is a very important period for the club,” Bartzokas admitted in the postgame press conference. “We feel proud to be members of Olympiacos at this time when the club is celebrating its 100th anniversary. We will try to do our best to live up to the expectations.”
Expectations are always sky-high for the Reds, taking into account the successful history of the club. Founded on March 10, 1925, Olympiacos Club of Fans of Piraeus quickly became a sense of identity for working-class people in the port city of Athens.
What started as a local sports club based in Piraeus would turn into an organization that would celebrate international titles in football, basketball, volleyball (men's and women's) and water polo (men’s and women’s).
Last season, Olympiacos became the first Greek club to win a European trophy in football by celebrating UEFA Conference League triumph on May 29, 2024. A month earlier, Olympiacos’s academy products had clinched the UEFA Youth League trophy - the Reds becoming the only club in the continent whose men and youth team have both celebrated a European title in the same season.
A powerhouse in European basketball
Olympiacos’s basketball team was founded at the end of the 1930s and would go on to become one of the most adored sections of the club. After finishing as runner-up in the 1994 and 1995 EuroLeague Final Fours, the Reds finally went all the way to glory in 1997 by beating FC Barcelona in the Championship Game.
The MVP of that game was David Rivers, one of the numerous legendary players to have donned the red-and-white stripes over the years along with EuroLeague icons Zarko Paspalj, Alphonso Ford, Theo Papaloukas and Vassilis Spanoulis, among others.
The latter was the undisputed leader of the team during the recent glory years that saw Olympiacos join the exclusive club of teams that have won back-to-back EuroLeague trophies by clinching titles in 2012 and 2013. Along with future captains Georgios Printezis and Papanikolaou, Spanoulis laid the foundation for Olympiacos to become one of the most competitive teams in the league.
In fact, the Reds have reached 13 Final Fours, including nine appearances over the last 15 years (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2022, 2023 and 2024). Last term, Olympiacos clinched Final Four participation for the third year in a row – something it achieved for the first time in its illustrious history.
What they’ve been missing, though, is the much-desired fourth EuroLeague trophy – the major objective in the 2024-25 campaign. Olympiacos aims to go all the way in its bid to offer the title as the perfect gift to the fans for the 100th birthday of the club.
“We need a bit of luck, to be healthy, to live up to expectations,” Bartzokas added. “The club provides me with everything, the presidents [sign] good players, the front office [offers] the best conditions. The last few years we are where we are, [because] we are working at a good level. Sometimes you need luck, hopefully, we will have more this year.”
High hopes for EuroLeague success in 2025
In pursuit of the title, Olympiacos brought back former EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov and Evan Fournier from the NBA. This explosive duo has carried the Reds to the top of the standings, with Olympiacos being the first team to clinch a postseason spot this season.
Having won 12 of their last 13 games, the Reds currently boast a league-best 21-7 record, with their next objectives being to secure a top-six finish and then home-court advantage for postseason.
Olympiacos has six games left to end the regular season, but the duel that stands out is the derby against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens at the Peace and Friendship Stadium on Friday night.
Boasting two of the best teams in the competition this campaign, the two title contenders will face off for the second time following Olympiacos’s 89-94 triumph at OAKA in Round 8. It remains to be seen if the Reds will manage to double their wins over their eternal rivals or whether the reigning champion will avenge the aforementioned defeat.
In the meantime, Monday will be a highly significant day for Olympiacos fans, who will celebrate their club officially turning 100 years old. With Bartzokas’s side flying high this season in the EuroLeague, everyone has their eyes on the prize.
And as MVP candidate Sasha Vezenkov admitted in his official presentation back in the summer, it’s quite clear what that prize is.
“My goal is not to win MVP, but to win the EuroLeague,” he stressed. “That's the only thing on my mind. What it will take to do it, my coach and I will figure it out. I'll do everything. That's all I care about. The most important thing is to be healthy.”