The PSAT Sports Awards () are the annual

sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...

awards that are issued by the Panhellenic Sports Press Association (PSAT). The awards are given to the year's top performing individual

athletes An athlete is most commonly a person who competes in one or more sports involving physical strength, speed, power, or endurance. Sometimes, the word "athlete" is used to refer specifically to sport of athletics competitors, i.e. including trac ...

, in the form of

Athlete of the Year Athlete of the Year is an award given by various sports organizations for the athlete whom they have determined to be deserving of such recognition. Definition of "athlete" *In many nations, an "athlete" primarily refers to someone who participa ...

awards, and also to the year's top performing

sports team A sports team is a group of individuals who play a team sport together. The number of players in the group depends on the sport. The highest level of a sports team is a professional sports team. In professional sports, the athletes are very t ...

s in the nation of

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. The award winners are chosen by the votes of a panel of sports editors in Greece. The first PSAT Sports Awards were given in the year 1954, by the sports writers of the "Sports Press Association" (SAT), which was later renamed to the "Panhellenic Association of Sports Writers (PSAT)". The awards ceremony, which takes place every year in front of a large audience, is also often honored by the presence of the current President of the Hellenic Republic, at the time of the event. The PSAT Sports Awards are considered to be the most important annual sports award that any Greek athlete is given by their own country. From 1954 to 1973, the award was for individual Greek athletes, regardless of their gender. However, in 1960, the crew of the

sailing vessel A sailing ship is a sea-going vessel that uses sails mounted on masts to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There is a variety of sail plans that propel sailing ships, employing square-rigged or fore-and-aft sails. Some ships ca ...

"Nireus", was given the award, due to their

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

win at the 1960 Rome Summer Olympics. Since 1964, separate awards are also given to Greek

s. Since 1974, separate individual awards are given out to both male and female athletes of Greece. In 2004, awards categories for

coaches Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

and athletes with disabilities were added. Separate categories for male and female athletes with disabilities were added in 2008. A category for the best sports team with disabilities was added in 2013. There are also the following awards: The Athletics Contribution and Ethics award, which is given to Greek athletes that have made a great long-term contribution to Greek sports. The Fair-Play award, which is given to Greek athletes that have displayed good character, by consistently honoring and observing the rules of fair-play in their respective sports. The Rising Talent award, which is given to young Greek athletes that are considered to be possible future stars in their respective sports. And the Social Contribution award, which is given to contributors that have helped to promote the growth of Greek sports. There are also honorary distinctions that are given to sports club personalities that have made significant contributions to Greek sports, as well.

Best Greek Athlete (1954–1973)

From 1954 to 1973, The Best Greek Athlete, or Greek Athlete of the Year award was given to single individuals, regardless of their gender. However, the award was won only by males. In 1960, instead of giving the award to a single individual athlete, the crew of the sailing vessel "Nireus", was awarded as a team. That was in honor of their

win at the 1960 Rome Summer Olympics. In 1970,

Christos Papanikolaou Christos Papanikolaou (, born 25 November 1941) is a Greek retired pole vaulter. On 25 October 1970, he set the world record at , significant to Americans as the first man to pole vault 18 feet. He competed at the 1964, 1968 and 1972 Olympics a ...

broke the

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

in the men's

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a #bar, bar. Pole jumping was already practiced by the ...

. In honor of that achievement, he was given the award, without a vote being held to determine the year's winner of the award. In 1972, rather giving the award to a single individual athlete, three winners were chosen. In honor of their good performances at the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics.

Best Greek Male Athlete (1974–present)

In 1974, separate individual awards for both male and female athletes were established, with the Best Greek Male Athlete, or Greek Male Athlete of the Year award beginning in that year. In 1996, rather than giving the award to a single individual athlete, the award was given to all of the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics gold medalists, without a vote. In 2000, an individual award was given to

Kostas Kenteris Konstantinos "Kostas" Kenteris, also spelled as Konstadinos "Costas" Kederis ( ; born July 11, 1973) is a Greek former athlete. He won gold medals in the 200 metres at the 2000 Summer Olympics, the 2001 World Championships in Athletics and the 2 ...

. However, at the same time, Club Association Society awards were also given to

Pyrros Dimas Pyrros Dimas (; ; born 13 October 1971) is a Greek politician and former weightlifter. He is currently the technical director for USA Weightlifting, having taken that position in June 2017. Dimas has also been involved in politics as a member o ...

, Akakios "Kachi" Kakiasvilis, and Michalis Mouroutsos, in honor of their gold medal performances at the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics.

Best Greek Female Athlete (1974–present)

In 1974, separate individual awards for both male and female athletes were established, with the Best Greek Female Athlete, or Greek Female Athlete of the Year award beginning in that year. In 1982, rather than giving the award to an individual athlete, Sofia Sakorafa and Anna Verouli were given the award, without a vote being held. That was done in order to honor their achievements in that year. In that year, Sakorafa broke the world record in the

javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown as far as possible. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's de ...

, and Anna Verouli won the gold medal at the

1982 European Athletics Championships The 13th European Athletics Championships were held from 6 September to 12 September 1982 at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece. Contemporaneous reports on the event were given in the Glasgow Herald. Men's results Comp ...

Best Greek Sports Team (1964–present)

The award for the Best Greek Sports Team was established in 1964.

Best Sports Coach in Greece (2004–present)

The award for the Best Greek Sports Coach began in 2004. The award is given to the best

sports coach An athletic coach is a person coaching in sport, involved in the direction, instruction, and training of a sports team or athlete. History The original sense of the word ''Coach'' is that of a Coach (carriage), horse-drawn carriage, deriving ul ...

of any Greek team, regardless of whether they are of Greek or foreign nationality, or to the best sports coach with Greek nationality, regardless of where they coach.

Best Greek athlete with a disability (2004–2007)

From 2004 to 2007, there was a single award for both Greek male and female athletes with disabilities. In 2007, Anthi Karagianni became the only female to win the Best Greek Athlete with a disability award.

Best Greek male athlete with a disability (2008–present)

The award for the best Greek male athlete with a disability, began in the year 2008.

Best Greek female athlete with a disability (2008–present)

The award for the best Greek female athlete with a disability, began in the year 2008.

Best Greek disabled athlete's team (2013–present)

The award for the Best Greek disabled athlete's team began in the year 2013.

1980 Greek Football Super Cup

In 1980, the Panhellenic Sports Press Association (PSAT) also established the Greek Football Super Cup. The teams that contested the original Greek Football Super Cup event were Olympiacos Piraeus and

Kastoria Kastoria (, ''Kastoriá'' ) is a city in northern Greece in the modern regions of Greece, region of Western Macedonia. It is the capital of Kastoria (regional unit), Kastoria regional unit, in the Geographic regions of Greece, geographic region ...

. The game was won by Olympiacos, by a score of 4–3.Greece - List of Super Cup and League Cup Finals.
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References

Sources

*"The best of 25 years" (tribute to the institution), magazine "Maties sta Spor", January 1988.

External links

PSAT official website

PSAT Awards articles
{{PSAT Best Sports Coach in Greece 1954 establishments in Greece Awards established in 1954 Greece sport-related lists Greek awards Lists of award winners Lists of sportspeople

Sport in Greece