By Stefania Zafeiri , Silia Pitsiou , Maria Stasinopoulou

The FIFA World Cup, also known as world cup, was founded in 1930 and 32 teams participate from many countries in the world. In this competition only men take part every four years since 1930 who are members of the Internationale de Football Association(FIFA). This tournament is held every four years except for 1942 and 1946 because of the second World War .

Not to mention Brazil is one of the most popular and successful teams with five wins and is the only one who has played in every tournament .Other countries that have won the World Cup are  Argentina, France, England , Spain, Germany and Italy .Argentina is one of the reigning champions with three titles. The 2022 FIFA world cup took place during winter .In conclusion FIFA world cup is a well known association that plenty of people view every four years all over the world.

Even though Greece has made three different appearances in the FIFA WORLD CUP in 1994, in 2010 and in 2014 , the greek national football team has never achieved a top in the top champions. The FIFA WORLD CUP are used as anthems and advertising campaigns for the mudial with the most popular sing being “ Waka  waka ” by Shakira representing the country of Africa with over 3 billion views on Youtube .

2022 FIFA World Cup final

The final was played on 18 December between Argentina and France. Both teams had won the event twice previously. Early goals from Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria gave Argentina, leading 2–0, a head start against the French. Despite multiple substitutions in the first half, France did not record a shot until after the 70th minute, but were energised by additional substitutions in the 71st. A few minutes later, France were awarded a penalty as Randal Kolo Muani was brought down in the penalty area. Mbappé scored the penalty, and added a second goal less than two minutes later to equalise the scores.With the score tied at two goals apiece, the match went to extra time.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_FIFA_World_Cup#Final

BY ANDRIANA SABAZIOTI

Cricket was a children’s play in the south-east of England during the Middle Ages. It is now played throughout the world, particularly in Australia, India, Pakistan, the West Indies, and the British Isles. It is played by two teams of eleven players each with a bat and a ball on a cricket field. The field is oval with a rectangular area in the middle, known as the pitch, which is 20.12 metres by 3.04 metres wide. The main objective of each team is to score more runs than their opponents but, in some forms of cricket, it is also necessary to dismiss all of the opposition batters in their final innings in order to win the match.

https://www.britannica.com

Synchronised swimming or artistic swimming is a sport where swimmers perform a choreography in the water accompanied by music. A group of swimmers consist a minimum of 4 swimmers and a maximum of 10. They are synchronised both to each other and to the music. The performance is scored on a scale of 100, with points for execution, artistic impression and difficulty. It is traditionally a women’s sport. The first recorded competition was in 1891 in Berlin, Germany. It became an official Olympic sport in the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.

https://en.wikipedia.org

BY ADAMANTIA KAMARIANAKI – NICKY BATISTATOY

Michael Phelps, in full Michael Fred Phelps II, was born on June 30, 1985, in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S (nicknames: ‘Flying Fish’ ‘The Baltimore Bullet’). He is an American swimmer, who was the most-decorated athlete in Olympic history with 28 medals which included a record of 23 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals. He became the first athlete to win eight gold medals at a single Olympics.

Phelps is the long course world record holder in the men’s 400-meter individual medley as well as the former long course world record holder in the 200-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter butterfly, and 200-meter individual medley.

Phelps was raised in a family of swimmers and joined the prestigious North Baltimore Aquatic Club at age seven. At the 2001 U.S. spring nationals, he became at age 15 the youngest world-record holder in men’s swimming when he posted 1 min 54.92 sec in the 200-metre butterfly. He went on that year to win his first international title at the world championships in Fukuoka, Japan. At the U.S. spring nationals in 2003, he became the first male swimmer to claim titles in three different strokes at a single national championship, and he later broke an unprecedented five individual world records at the world championships in Barcelona, Spain.

At the 2012 Olympics in London, Phelps had a disappointing start (failing to medal in his first event). However, he subsequently won silver medals and a gold medal in both the 4 × 100-metre freestyle relay and the 200-metre butterfly and a gold medal in the 4 × 200-metre freestyle relay. He also claimed gold in the 200-metre IM (individual medley), becoming the first male swimmer to win the same individual event at three consecutive Olympics. He later won the 100-metre butterfly for the third consecutive time. Phelps, announced that he was retiring from the sport after the London Games, but hisretirement was short-lived, as he announced his return to competitive swimmingin April 2014.

Having completed his improbably dominant comeback at the 2016 Games, he again retired from competitive swimming, having won more medals than 161 countries. He is widely regarded as the greatest swimmer of all time and is often considered to be one of the greatest athletes of all time.

Sources

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michael-Phelps

https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%9C%CE%AC%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%BB_%CE%A6%CE%B5%CE%BB%CF%80%CF%82

By Andreas Stolakis

Fencing is considered a combat sport like boxing and martial arts. Main characteristic of fencing is the use of swords and, nowadays, the protective gear.

Origins:The word “Fencing” derives from the Latin word “defensa” which means protection.The first known use of the word in reference to English fencing is in William Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor: ‘Alas sir, I cannot fence.’.

Fun fact:Fencing is one of only four sports to have been featured in every modern Olympics. It made its debut in 1896, when the programme consisted of three men’s events. It is also claimed that, in its debut year in Greece, Georgios the first (King of Greece) was late. He was such an avid supporter of the sport that he had every match that took place before he arrived replayed before him.

Brief history of fencing

Fencing is dated back to  Ancient Egypt and later on to Ancient Greece used for military combat.It didn’t become a sport until the Romans came around. The mighty “gladiators” fought until their last breath to achieve glory and freedom. Though, back then fencing was not viewed for the talent of the fencer, rather for the violence and cruelty. During the Middle ages fencing had more of a survival importance than an athletic one. Around this time came the first pieces of fencing manuscripts. The oldest fencing manual we know of dates back to 1300 A.D, there are no clues pointing to the identity of the writer or the reasons that it was written for but it provides information on how to use a shield and sword. Old world European Fencing: The sport is changing. With the invention of guns and gunpowder swords are of no use in battle fields, swords are limited to individual fights or “Duels” and are used for self-defense. Fencing is slowly starting to look like the modern version of it. The hand that is not holding the sword usually had a shield, but in duels with the emphasis given to speed the hand is empty, also swords are thinner and lighter. Throughout this time, there is an explosion of fencing schools all around Europe and now is also the time when the first fencing champions come around. Dueling is being outlawed in Europe and slowly over the years fencing becomes a sport.

Disciplines

 The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the epee, and the sabre (all weapons/swords are made of metal); winning points are made through the weapon’s contact with an opponent.

Foil: It is flexible, rectangular in cross section, and weighs under a pound. Points are only scored by contact with the tip, which, in electrically scored tournaments, is capped with a spring-loaded button to signal a touch.A foil fencer’s uniform features the lamé (a vest, electrically wired to record hits). Foil is the most used discipline in competitions.

Epee: Is the heaviest and the largest of the three swords.It is triangular in cross-section with a V-shaped groove called a fuller. The épée also has a larger bell guard and weighs more. The techniques of their use differ, as there are no rules regarding priority and right of way. Thus, immediate counter attacks are a common feature of épée fencing. In addition, the entire body is a valid target area.

Sabre: The sabre weapon is for thrusting and cutting with both the cutting edge and the back of the blade,unlike other modern fencing weapons, the epee and foil, where the methods of making a hit are scored using only the point of the blade.

GEAR

Most personal protective equipment for fencing is made of tough cotton or nylon. Kevlar was added to top level uniform pieces (jacket, breeches, underarm protector, lamé, and the bib of the mask) following the death of Vladimir Smirnov at the 1982 World Championships in Rome. However, Kevlar is degraded by both ultraviolet light and chlorine, which can complicate cleaning.

Other ballistic fabrics, such as Dyneema, have been developed that resist puncture, and which do not degrade the way that Kevlar does. FIE rules state that tournament wear must be made of fabric that resists a force of 800 newtons (180 lb), and that the mask bib must resist twice that amount.

The complete fencing kit includes:

Jacket: The jacket is form-fitting, and has a strap that passes between the legs. In sabre fencing, jackets are cut along the waist. A small gorget of folded fabric is sewn in around the collar to prevent an opponent’s blade from slipping under the mask and along the jacket upwards towards the neck. Fencing instructors may wear a heavier jacket, such as one reinforced by plastic foam, to deflect the frequent hits an instructor endures.

Plastron: A plastron is an underarm protector worn underneath the jacket. It provides double protection on the side of the sword arm and upper arm. There is no seam under the arm, which would line up with the jacket seam and provide a weak spot.

Glove: The sword hand is protected by a glove with a gauntlet that prevents blades from going up the sleeve and causing injury. The glove also improves grip.

Breeches: Breeches or knickers are short trousers that end just below the knee. The breeches are required to have 10 cm of overlap with the jacket. Most are equipped with suspenders.

Socks: Fencing socks are long enough to cover the knee, some cover most of the thigh.

Shoes: Fencing shoes have flat soles, and are reinforced on the inside for the back foot, and in the heel for the front foot. The reinforcement prevents wear from lunging.

Mask: The fencing mask has a bib that protects the neck. The mask should support 12 kilograms (26 lb) on the metal mesh and 350 newtons (79 lb) of penetration resistance on the bib. FIE regulations dictate that masks must withstand 25 kilograms (55 lb) on the mesh and 1,600 newtons (360 lb) on the bib. Some modern masks have a see-through visor in the front of the mask. These have been used at high level competitions (World Championships etc.), however, they are currently banned in foil and épée by the FIE, following a 2009 incident in which a visor was pierced during the European Junior Championship competition. There are foil, sabre, and three-weapon masks.

Chest protector: A chest protector, made of plastic, is worn by female fencers and, sometimes, by males. Fencing instructors also wear them, as they are hit far more often during training than their students. In foil fencing, the hard surface of a chest protector decreases the likelihood that a hit registers.

Lame: A lame is a layer of electrically conductive material worn over the fencing jacket in foil and sabre fencing. The lame covers the entire target area, and makes it easier to determine whether a hit fell within the target area. (In épée fencing the lame is unnecessary, since the target area spans the competitor’s entire body.) In sabre fencing, the lame’s sleeves end in a straight line across the wrist; in foil fencing, the lame is sleeveless. A body cord is necessary to register scoring. It attaches to the weapon and runs inside the jacket sleeve, then down the back and out to the scoring box. In sabre and foil fencing, the body cord connects to the lame in order to create a circuit to the scoring box.

Sleeve: An instructor or master may wear a protective sleeve or a leg leather to protect their fencing arm or leg, respectively.

Fun fact: The fencing suits are white, because in earlier times, touching was recorded with a piece of cotton at the tip of the weapon dipped in ink.

TECHNIQUES

Techniques or movements in fencing can be divided into two categories: offensive and defensive. Some techniques can fall into both categories (e.g. the beat). Certain techniques are used offensively, with the purpose of landing a hit on your opponent while holding the right of way (foil and sabre). Others are used defensively, to protect against a hit or obtain the right of way.(Right of way is the decision criterion used in foil and sabre fencing to determine which fencer receives the touch, or point, when both fencers land a hit within the same short time-frame, less than 1 second.In epee if both fencers land a hit at the same time, they are both awarded a point.)

Offense:

Attack: A basic fencing technique, also called a thrust, consisting of the initial offensive action made by extending the arm and continuously threatening the opponent’s target. There are four different attacks (straight thrust, disengage attack, counter-disengage attack and cutover). In sabre, attacks are also made with a cutting action.

Riposte: An attack by the defender after a successful parry. After the attacker has completed their attack, and it has been parried, the defender then has the opportunity to make an attack, and (at foil and sabre) take right of way.

Feint: A false attack with the purpose of provoking a reaction from the opposing fencer.

Lunge: A thrust while extending the front leg by using a slight kicking motion and propelling the body forward with the back leg.

Beat attack: In foil and sabre, the attacker beats the opponent’s blade to gain priority (right of way) and continues the attack against the target area. In épée, a similar beat is made but with the intention to disturb the opponent’s aim and thus score with a single light.

Disengage: A blade action whereby the blade is moved around the opponent’s blade to threaten a different part of the target or deceive a parry.

Compound attack: An attack preceded by one or more feints which oblige the opponent to parry, allowing the attacker to deceive the parry.

Continuation/renewal of Attack: A typical épée action of making a 2nd attack after the first attack is parried. This may be done with a change in line; for example, an attack in the high line (above the opponent’s bellguard, such as the shoulder) is then followed with an attack to the low line (below the opponent’s bellguard, such as the thigh, or foot); or from the outside line (outside the bellguard, such as outer arm) to the inside line (inside the bellguard, such as the inner arm or the chest). A second continuation is stepping slight past the parry and angulating the blade to bring the tip of the blade back on target. A renewal may also be direct (without a change of line or any further blade action), in which case it is called a remise. In foil or sabre, a renewal is considered to have lost right of way, and the defender’s immediate riposte, if it lands, will score instead of the renewal.

Flick: a technique used primarily in foil and épée. It takes advantage of the extreme flexibility of the blade to use it like a whip, bending the blade so that it curves over and strikes the opponent with the point; this allows the fencer to hit an obscured part of the target (e.g., the back of the shoulder or, at épée, the wrist even when it is covered by the guard). This technique has become much more difficult due to timing changes which require the point to stay depressed for longer to set off the light.

Parry: Basic defence technique, block the opponent’s weapon while it is preparing or executing an attack to deflect the blade away from the fencer’s valid area and (in foil and sabre) to give fencer the right of way. Usually followed by a riposte, a return attack by the defender.

Circle parry: A parry where the weapon is moved in a circle to catch the opponent’s tip and deflect it away.

Counter attack: A basic fencing technique of attacking your opponent while generally moving back out of the way of the opponent’s attack. Used quite often in épée to score against the attacker’s hand/arm. More difficult to accomplish in foil and sabre unless one is quick enough to make the counterattack and retreat ahead of the advancing opponent without being scored upon, or by evading the attacking blade via moves such as the In Quartata (turning to the side) or Passata-sotto (ducking). Counterattacks can also be executed in opposition, grazing along the opponent’s blade and deflecting it to cause the attack to miss.

Point-in-line: A specific position where the arm is straight and the point is threatening the opponent’s target area. In foil and sabre, this gives one priority if the extension is completed before the opponent begins the final action of their attack. When performed as a defensive action, the attacker must then disturb the extended weapon to re-take priority; otherwise the defender has priority and the point-in-line will win the touch if the attacker does not manage a single light. In épée, there is no priority; the move may be used as a means by either fencer to achieve a double-touch and advance the score by 1 for each fencer. In all weapons, the point-in-line position is commonly used to slow the opponent’s advance and cause them to delay the execution of their attack.

To sum up, fencing is a demanding yet exciting sport. Unlike most people think, it’s not very expensive. Equipment for competitions ranges from 250 euro all the way up to 1000. It’s still cheaper than sports such as sailing and even tennis!

Sources:

https://academyoffencingmasters.com/blog/a-not-so-brief-history-of-fencing-part-1-fencing-in-the-ancient-world/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fencing

https://www.fistosports.com/15-things-about-fencing-you-ought-to-know

https://fie.org/

By Nick Dafogiannis

Lionel Andrés Messi born 24 June 1987 is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains both Spanish club Barcelona and the Argentina national team.

Personal Information:

• Full name: Lionel Andrés Messi
• Date of birth: 24 June 1987
• Place of birth: Rosario, Argentina
• Height: 1.70 m
• Playing position: Forward

Early life:

Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, the third of four children of Jorge Messi, a steel factory manager, and his wife Celia Cuccittini, who worked in a magnet manufacturing workshop. On his father’s side, he is of Italian and Spanish descent, the great-grandson of immigrants from the northcentral Adriatic Marche region of Italy and Catalonia, and on his mother’s side, he has primarily Italian ancestry. Growing up in a tight-knit, football-loving family, «Leo» developed a passion for the sport from an early age, playing constantly with his older brothers .At the age of four he joined local club Grandoli, where he was coached by his father, though his earliest influence as a player came from his maternal grandmother, Celia, who accompanied him to training and matches. He was greatly affected by her death, shortly before his eleventh birthday; since then, as a devout Catholic, he has celebrated his goals by looking up and pointing to the sky in tribute to his grandmother.

His first step and his health problem:

 A lifelong supporter of Newell’s Old Boys, Messi joined the Rosario club when he was six years old. During the six years he played for Newell’s, he scored almost 500 goals as a member of «The Machine

• of ’87″, the near-unbeatable youth side named for the year of their birth, and regularly entertained crowds by performing ball tricks during half-time of the first team’s home games. However, his future as a professional player was threatened when, at age 10, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. As his father’s health insurance covered only two years of growth hormone treatment, which cost at least $1,000 per month, Newell’s agreed to contribute, but later reneged on their promise. He was scouted by Buenos Aires club River Plate, whose playmaker, Pablo Aimar, he idolised, but they were also unable to pay for his treatment due to Argentina’s economic collapse.

In Barcelona:

 As the Messi family had relatives in Catalonia, they sought to arrange a trial with Barcelona in September 2000. First team director Charly Rexach immediately wanted to sign him, but the board of directors hesitated; at the time it was highly unusual for European clubs to sign foreign players of such a young age. On 14 December, an ultimatum was issued for Barcelona to prove their commitment, and Rexach, with no other paper at hand, offered a contract on a paper napkin. In February 2001, the family relocated to Barcelona, where they moved into an apartment near the club’s stadium, Camp Nou. During his first year in Spain, Messi rarely played with the Infantiles due to a transfer conflict with Newell’s; as a foreigner, he could only be fielded in friendlies and the Catalan league. Without football, he struggled to integrate into the team; already reserved by nature, he was so quiet that his teammates initially believed he was mute. At home, he suffered from homesickness after his mother moved back to Rosario with his brothers and little sister, María Sol, while he stayed in Barcelona with his father.

After a year at Barcelona’s youth academy, La Masia, Messi was finally enrolled in the Royal Spanish Football Federation  in February 2002. Now playing in all competitions, he befriended his teammates, among whom were Cesc Fàbregas and Gerard Piqué. After completing his growth hormone treatment aged 14, Messi became an integral part of the «Baby Dream Team», Barcelona’s greatest-ever youth side. During his first full season (2002–03), he was top scorer with 36 goals in 30 games for the Cadetes A, who won an unprecedented treble of the league and both the Spanish and Catalan cups. The Copa Catalunya final, a 4–1 victory over Espanyol, became known in club lore as the partido de la máscara, the final of the mask. A week after suffering a broken cheekbone during a league match, Messi was allowed to start the game on the condition that he wear a plastic protector; soon hindered by the mask, he took it off and scored two goals in 10 minutes before his substitution.

Debut with the first team:

 At 16 years, four months, and 23 days old, Messi made his first team debut when he came on in the 75th minute during a friendly against José Mourinho’s Porto on 16 November 2003. His performance, creating two chances and a shot on goal, impressed the technical staff, and he subsequently began training daily with the club’s reserve side, Barcelona B, as well as weekly with the first team. After his first training session with the senior squad, Barça’s new star player, Ronaldinho, told his teammates that he believed the 16-year-old would become an even better player than himself.^] Ronaldinho soon befriended Messi, whom he called «little brother», which greatly eased his transition into the first team.

To gain further match experience, Messi joined Barcelona C in addition to the Juveniles A, playing his first game for the third team on 29 November. He helped save them from the relegation zone of the Tercera División, scoring five goals in ten games, including a hat-trick in eight minutes during a Copa del Rey match while man-marked by Sevilla“s Sergio Ramos. His progress was reflected in his first professional contract, signed on 4 February 2004, which lasted until 2012 and contained an initial buyout clause of €30 million. A month later, on 6 March, he made his debut for Barcelona B in the Segunda División B, and his buyout clause automatically increased to €80 million. He played five games with the B team that season but did not score. Physically he was weaker than his opponents, who were often much older and taller, and in training he worked on increasing his muscle mass and overall strength in order to be able to shake off defenders. Towards the end of the season, he returned to both youth teams, helping the Juveniles B win the league. He finished the campaign having scored for four of his five teams with a total of 36 goals in all official competitions.

Barcelona team:

After 2004 Lionel plays a key role in Barcelona and in Argentina national team and his performance is unreal . Every year he scores over 30 goals and is one of the most difficult opponents for the defenders . His career is huge amd many consider him the best player of all time . He has broken several records and has won many trophies in the 15 years he has been playing . His biggest competitor is Cristiano Ronaldo although he says they are good friends.

Records:

• Ballon d’Or/FIFA Ballon d’Or: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019
• FIFA World Cup Golden Ball: 2014
• FIFA World Player of the Year: 2009
• The Best FIFA Men’s Player: 2019
• European Golden Shoe: 2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19
• Copa América Golden Ball: 2015
• UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Award: 2011, 2015
• UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2009
• UEFA Club Forward of the Year: 2009, 2019
• La Liga Best Player: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15
• La Liga Best Forward: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16
• Pichichi Trophy: 2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20
• FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2009, 2011
• FIFA Club World Cup Silver Ball: 2015
• FIFA Club World Cup Final Most Valuable Player: 2009, 2011
• FIFA World Youth Championship Golden Ball: 2005
• FIFA World Youth Championship Golden Shoe: 2005
• IFFHS World’s Best Playmaker: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019
• Olimpia de Plata (Argentine Footballer of the Year): 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019
• Copa América Best Young Player: 2007
• FIFPro Young World Player of the Year: 2006, 2007, 2008
• Golden Boy (Young European Footballer of the Year): 2005
• FIFA FIFPro World11: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
• UEFA Ultimate Team of the Year
• FIFA World Cup Dream Team: 2014
• Copa América Dream Team: 2007, 2011, 2015, 2016
• Argentine Football Assn. Team of All Time
• Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: 2020
• L’Équipe Champion of Champions: 2011
• World Soccer Greatest XI of All Time: 2013
• Ballon d’Or Dream Team: 2020
• Champion for Peace and Sport: 2020

Troρhies:

• La Liga: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19
• Copa del Rey: 2008–09, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18
• Supercopa de España: 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018
• UEFA Champions League: 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2014–15
• UEFA Super Cup: 2009, 2011, 2015
• FIFA Club World Cup: 2009, 2011, 2015

By George Tzanatos, Philip Panagotou, Dimitris Maroudas & Fotis Trihas

The Wembley “Curse”

1929-1930: Leicester city finished 2nd in the league, which was its best place until the miraculous season.

1948-1949: The “curse” of Wembley started by losing the FA cup final against Wolves.

1961, 1963, 1969: Leicester lost again the FA Cup Final against Spurs, Manchester United and Manchester City respectively.

But , the curse continues…

 2013: EFL CHAMPIONSHIP 2012-2013 SEMI FINALS PLAY-OFFS: (Leicester Fc vs Watford Fc)

Leicester awarded a late penalty and they had a chance to score and qualify in the final with many chances of getting promoted to the Premier League but they didn’t grab the chance and they conceded a goal in the last minute.

By pressing this link you can see the last minutes of this match.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrFOTT_y8C0

The  Miracle before the  miracle

• Premier League 2014-2015:The season before being awarded the  championship Leicester was a step away from relegation with just 19 points in the first 29 games. Only a wonder could save them….. They had to gain more points that they already have. And they did it. In the last 9 games they achieved to win 22 points with 7 wins in a row and a draw.

One of the biggest achievements in football’s history

    Premier League 2015-2016: Leicester at august 2015 hired Claudio Ranieri (the former coach of Greek  national team) with the aim to stay in the Premier Laegue. As Ranieri acclaimed, in the pre-season press conference, “ Our goal is to reach 40 points. ”

Despite the tough competition in the best league in Europe, things escalated better than the most optimistic supporter could imagine. Leicester made a magic start to the season and they were hunting, through big wins out of the blue, the 1^st spot. In the end of the first round after 19 matches  they were positioned 2^nd with the same points as Arsenal who was first.

In the second round of the Premier League the dream continues as Leicester makes a winning streak that secures them a spot in the best competition of Europe, the UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE. Leicester continues their tremendous performances against top clubs such as Manchester City and Tottenham.

After a couple of stressful matches the team accomplishes to remain in the first place and it only needs 2 points to win the title. The most crucial match for Leicester that season was the match between Chelsea and Tottenham at Stanford Bridge where it ended to a   draw (2-2).

Leicester Fc has won the Premier League.

The Best Players

• Jamie Vardy: The top scorer of Leicester scoring 24 goals and breaking the record for scoring goals in 11 consecutive matches!

• Riyad Mahrez: The pulling force of Leicester’s attack scoring 17 goals and sharing 11 assists.
• N’golo Kante: He made a superb season doing everything on the pitch.
• Kasper Schmeichel: The defensive “wall” keeping 15 clean sheets.

Honorable Mention

• The former president of Leicester City Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha died last October in a helicopter crash outside the King Power Stadium.

Sources:

Greek television documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5Y2g7LYifw

Official Premier League Website Premierleague.com

By Roumeliotis Theodore

Football is a team sport that is played with two teams of 11 players. Both teams are trying to put a ball into a goal. The team that will score the most goals is the one that wins.Football has become an Olympic sport since 1936 but also a sport since 1966. In short, it has taken on a global dimension.

Football is today the most popular sport in the world. By the beginning of the 21st century, more than 250 million athletes in more than 200 countries were involved. The soccer game is played on a variety of levels, from friendly, with fewer or more than eleven players, children or adults, to any size field, with two random goal-scoring, to professional, professional football players, strict observance of rules and more than 100,000 enthusiastic spectators to watch in a special football arena of high technical standards. FIFA is the supreme organizational principle of football.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_football

By Nikolas Kanellakis & Konstantinos Vlaxos Diakakis

           Since 2nd grade, basketball has been a large part of our time. We are now in the first year of Senior-High School and basketball has majorly worked our experience for the time. It has helped in making us the individuals we are today. We are convinced that, even if you do another sport type (that does not include a ball), it has had a huge effect on your life and options, too. Here are four ways in which basketball has positively affected us:

1. It has helped us get life-long acquaintances with mates and managers.
2. It has offered us mentors who have helped make us the sort of person we are.
3. It has given us chances to get to know people we could never have had the opportunity to meet otherwise.
4. We have met some of our greatest friends through basketball, for which we will always be thankful for.

To get out of the difficult situations in life, you need something that is bigger than you, you need something to believe in; for us, it was basketball. Basketball saved our life, allowed us to compete, to improve ourselves and understand life. Through this sport we understood who God was, better than we did in church. Church taught us what was right and wrong, basketball taught us faith. It means everything to us. Additionally, playing basketball teaches you many other values and principles that you cannot even imagine. In the sport of basketball, you cannot succeed unless you believe in yourself and your teammates. It is this belief that gives you confidence.  You must believe you will make that crucial free throw or make the buzzer-beater, which will make you win the game.  That is the first step to move forward. Similarly in life, you must believe in yourself. You must have faith in your abilities. Without this belief and faith in your capabilities, you cannot be successful or happy. In order to balance sports and other activities, you have to make certain sacrifices. This, for us, would mean cutting down on leisure so that we can balance studies and sport. A lot of time management is involved here, too. In life as well, nothing worth having comes easy. Sacrifices need to be made at every step in order to achieve what you aspire to. Through sports, you learn how to do this and how to utilize your time for your greater good. Last but not least, Through sports you learn to respect – your coach, your teammates, the referee and even your opponents. You learn to acknowledge that sometimes your opponent might be better. You learn that without respect, winning doesn’t mean anything. You learn to never put another player down. In life, without respecting others you cannot get anywhere. Strong people never put others down; they lift them up. Basketball teaches you just that. So, we believe that basketball cultivates many other aspects that are very essential for every person in his life.

By Kerbesiotis John, Varvatsoulis Gerasimos, Kairis John, Efthimios Karagiorgos & Georgiou Stefanos

NATIONAL TEAM OF GREECE

On 9 November 2018, four days after FIFA’s approval of Vlachodimos” request to play for Greece, he was called up by Angelos Anastasiadis for the matches against Finland and Estonia in the UEFA Nations League. He debuted for Greece in a 1–0 win over Finland on 15 November that year.

CURRENT TRANSFERMARKT VALUE:

HIS CAREER IN BENFICA:

On 18 May 2018, Vlachodimos signed a five-year contract with Portuguese side S.L. Benfica.

Vlachodimos started the 2019–20 season again as a first-choice. On 29 August 2019, he extended his contract with Benfica until 2023, setting an annual salary of €1.2 million.

ODYSSEAS VLACHODIMOS

ODYSSEAS IS HALF GERMAN AND HALF GREEK.HE HAS PLAYED   IN SMALL NATIONAL TEAMS OF GERMANY AND AFTER HE PLAYED FOR GREECE NATIONAL TEAM.

HIS CAREER IN HIS TEAMS:

HIS CAREER IN NATIONAL TEAMS:

HE HAS AN OLDER BROTHER WHO PLAYS IN Sonnenh of Groaspach.

By Alexander Moussafiris, Antony Dendis, Andrew Tzolas & Alexander Tsapkounis

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a men’s professional basketball league in North America; composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). It is widely considered to be the premier men’s professional basketball league in the world.

The current league organization divides thirty teams into two conferences of three divisions with five teams each. The current divisional alignment was introduced in the 2004–05 season. Reflecting the population distribution of the United States and Canada as a whole, most teams are in the eastern half of the country: thirteen teams are in the Eastern Time Zone, nine in the Central, three in the Mountain, and five in the Pacific.

Following the summer break, teams begin training camps in late September. Training camps allow the coaching staff to evaluate players (especially rookies), scout the team’s strengths and weaknesses, prepare the players for the rigorous regular season, and determine the 12-man active roster (and a 3-man inactive list) with which they will begin the regular season. During the regular season, each team plays 82 games, 41 each home and away.

The Boston Celtics have won the most championships with 17 NBA Finals wins. The second most successful franchise is the Los Angeles Lakers, who have 16 overall championships (11 in Los Angeles, 5 in Minneapolis). Following the Lakers, are the Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors (2 in Philadelphia, 4 in Oakland) with six championships each. The San Antonio Spurs have five championships, all since 1999.