Equestrian Sports
Equestrian sports were introduced in Greece shortly before World War II, at the initiative of a group of high-ranking army officers and lay riding enthusiasts which led to the establishment of the Hellenic Riding Club on an estate in Holargos,Attica. After the war, the Hellenic Riding Club moved to new premises in the Paradissos area of Amaroussion suburb (Attica) and became the focus of interest of many Athenians who had the prerequisites to practise equestrian sports. Thus, it became the first important centre for the development of competitive riding in Greece.
Since then, equestrian sports have been developing steadily in the country and are considered one of the rising sports, popular with the public and, in particular, young people. New clubs are founded every year, new members enroll and new riders appear in the competitive circuit. It is indicative that nowadays there are over 50 riding clubs (and riding schools), of which 46 are recognised by the Hellenic Equestrian Federation. There are 2,450 equestrian athletes and approximately 1,000 competition horses.
Apart from competitive equestrian sports, one can participate in riding programmes for beginners as well as for more experienced riders in specially created areas and estates (riding centres) in various parts of Greece. There, qualified personnel and trained horses will reveal the first basic secrets of riding to you, while observing all safety rules. You will also have the opportunity to make trips on horseback lasting a few hours along natural paths and gorgeous mountain ranges.
Tennis
There are few sports that can boast a constant presence in the over-100-year history of Greek sports and the Olympic movement and among them tennis occupies a distinguished position. In the beginning it made its appearance as a sport of the bourgeoisie on the eve of the 1st Olympic Games of 1896 (Athens), where its participation actively contributed to their revival. Nowadays, however, it is an extremely popular sport and hundreds of thousands of Greek people play tennis on an amateur or professional basis.
The country's mild climate creates considerably favourable conditions for the sport, while apart from the courts belonging to the various local tennis clubs, many hotels also have tennis courts.
Water ski
Water ski was "born" around 1900 from a group of young people who were having fun playing with the waters of a lake in the USA . The fashion spread quickly, and the stronger the boat engines became, the more the speed, the difficulty and the popularity of the sport grew.
In Greece, the Vouliagmeni Nautical Club (in the region of Attica) was the first club to found a water ski division in 1957; in 1963 the Hellenic Water Ski Federation was founded with the aim of spreading the sport all over the country.
Water ski is now one of the most popular modern water sports and no special training is needed when done by amateurs for fun. All over Greece there are private schools, which operate at organised beaches or at the facilities of big hotels.
Sailing
Sailing is a sport irrevocably connected with the Greek people throughout the country's long history and centuries of nautical tradition. Today, it is one of the most popular sports and thousands of Greeks practise it systematically (in competitions or as a simple sport) using all types of sailing boats.
Windsurfing
Windsurfing is an exciting sport for everybody, irrespective of age and sex. No special body strength is needed, at least in the beginning, the most important part being played by correct technique.
Apart from being fun and an Olympic sport, windsurfing is a professional sport since 1985, as well as a demonstration and competition sport in indoor areas, where the necessary conditions are artificially created.
As the weather conditions in Greece are ideal (mild climate, appropriate strength of the winds etc), the popularity of the sport has increased spectacularly and more and more Greek people practise it systematically. Indeed, in recent years European and World competitions (tournaments), some of which rank among the most important international events, are held in various parts of the country during the summer. At most of the country's organised beaches you have the opportunity to windsurf or attend lessons given by specialised instructors. Indicatively, some of the places where one can do organised windsurfing are listed below:
- Attica: Anavyssos, Varkiza, Lavrio, Loutsa, Rafina, Schinias (Marathonas) and Galazia Akti (Marathonas) beaches
-The Cyclades: Paros island (Chrysi Akti, Nea Chrysi Akti, Tsoukalia, Santa Maria and Pounda beaches), Mykonos island (Ftelia and Kalafatis beaches), Naxos island (Aghios Georgios and Mikri Vigla beaches), Ios island (Mylopotas beach), Santorini island, et al.
-The Dodecanese: Rhodes island (Trianda, Fanes, Prasonissi and Theologos beaches), Karpathos island (the Devil's bay), Kos island, et al.
-Patras (the Peloponnese): Drepano and Zacharo beaches
-The Ionian Islands: Lefkada island (Vassiliki beach), Zakynthos island
-Crete
-The Sporades islands: Skiathos
-Macedonia: Thessalonica prefecture (Aghia Triada and Nea Michaniona beaches and on Volvi lake), Chalkidiki (Sunny Beach).
Diving Tourism
The particularly clean Greek seas and the huge wealth of the deep are a pole of attraction for those wishing to enjoy the magic of underwater exploration. Diving using a only mask is allowed everywhere, but diving with the use of oxygen bottles is forbidden in areas with underwater antiquities.
Scores of diving schools operate in Greece under special license of the Greek Ministry of Culture. All scuba divers are obliged to comply with and adhere to the regulations and restrictions of L. 5351/32 on antiquities. Underwater activities with diving equipment are allowed from sunrise to sunset.
More specifically, interested parties should be aware that the following are prohibited:
-fishing with scuba diving equipment (spear fishing with the use of bottles);
-photographing, removing or transporting antiquities. In case you spot any antiquities, you must immediately report this to the nearest archaeological department of the Ministry of Culture (or the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities), or port or police authorities; and use or possession (on board of a ship) of special equipment for spotting antiquities.
Skiing
Over the past decades skiing has witnessed a spectacular rise in popularity among Greeks. At present, 15 ski resorts operate on the mainland meeting modern standards, which lend themselves to the development of winter tourism and are particularly popular with both Greek and foreign visitors. Many of these ski resorts offer programmes for beginners and for intermediate-level skiers, so before setting out contact the resort and seek information. Moreover, if you do not you're your own skiing equipment, you can find stores selling winter sports gear in nearby urban areas. Alternatively, a number of these ski resorts offer you the possibility to rent part or all of the equipment required.
Hiking – Mountaineering – Climbing
Simple hiking is distinguished from mountain walking. The former involves walking a minimum distance of 5 km, covered in 1-2 hours on slightly sloped terrain (with almost no differences in elevation) and entails only light gear. The latter involves distances of 15-20 km covered in 5-8 hours, and special equipment, particularly during the winter season, is imperative. Mountain hiking can be practised on any mountain. Its main characteristic is the difference in elevation one may encounter along the route, which may reach as much as 500-600 m.
Greece lagged behind in the creation of an integrated motorway network, other than the basic road arteries running across the country. Before the development of such infrastructure, transportation took place via paths to which the elderly inhabitants of mountainous settlements still refer today as dimosia (in Greek "a public, main road"), which at the time constituted the chief access road. Despite the fact that some of the old paths and artfully built cobbled lanes were turned into asphalt roads, a great many of them still survive today running through mountains, dales and gorges. In recent years, financing from various bodies (municipal authorities, mountaineering associations, private individuals, etc) has allowed for the maintenance and revival of these paths throughout the country, the majority of which are waymarked, thus creating a 3,500 km-long network. For the larger part this comprises long-distance European Paths Å 4 and Å 6, and Class Ï (3,000 km), while a number of new shorter paths of similar interest running over a length of 500 km have also been developed.
*European Path Å4 (- GR ): Starting in the Pyrenees range, it stretches into Greece passing through FYROM. The Greek E4 path traverses the northern and central part of the country, the Peloponnese, ultimately reaching Gythion and ending in Crete. It thus affords hikers the opportunity to become familiar with the diversity and natural wealth of the Greek landscape.
The highest elevation on the entire route is the Skolios peak (2,911 m) on Mt Olympus. The E4 is ideal for hiking from May 15 until early October. Often, the opening of new forest roads may confuse hikers. Some of the villages encountered en route are uninhabited during the winter, thus limiting the possibility for an overnight stay. The areas have a typical Mediterranean climate, with warm dry summers and considerable differences in day and night temperatures. Snowfall starts in November and snow is likely to linger into June. The route in the southern part of the path (Peloponnese and Crete) is less rough than the northern one and is walkable throughout the year due to the milder climate.
*European Path Å6: The Greek section of the European long-distance path E4 has two parts: the first has its starting point in the Prespes area and reaches the town of Igoumenitsa via Kastoria-Ioannina-Dodoni; the second part begins in Florina, crosses the mountainous regions of western, central and eastern Macedonia (along Greece's borders with FYROM and Bulgaria) and reaches the city of Alexandroupoli in Thrace.
Mountain climbing is the hardest form of hiking. Usually, the climber's goal is to conquer a peak. In mountaineering, distance is of little significance. The most important element is that per hour approx. 300 m in rise of elevation are covered, which means that a 1000-m ascent requires about 4 hours including stops made during the climb. A usual mountain ascent lasts 7-10 hours, descent included.
Finally rock climbing (the term defines an ascent under summer conditions while in winter the activity is referred to as alpinism) is practised on any mountain peak, on very steep slopes (cliffs) rendering imperative the use of climbing techniques (of great or small degree of difficulty) and auxiliary equipment. In Greece, many spots lend themselves to free rock climbing, while schools offering the possibility of artificial climbing also operate.
All necessary information on mountain routes and trails, access to them, facilities and alpine refuges throughout the country, as well as on organised excursions, local hiking, mountain-climbing and rock-climbing conditions on Greek mountains, is provided by the Greek Mountaineering and Rock-Climbing Association ( Å.Ï.Ï.Á. ) and local hiking and mountaineering clubs.
Hang Gliding - Parapente (Paragliding)
In hang gliding, the pilot "hangs" (tied in a special harness) underneath the glider (a flying machine consisting of Dacron fabric and aluminium tubes of aircraft alloy), in such a way that his/ her body hangs in the air like a pendulum. By shifting his/ her weight in the appropriate way and by taking advantage of the rising air currents, the pilot follows the desired direction moving along three axes: longitudinal, transversal and vertical. Depending on the degree of training, the pilot can reach a height of 5,000 metres and stay in the air for up to 10 hours.
The sport started in the ‘70s in the USA and Australia where it became quickly popular. In the years to follow, it became known all over the world and nowadays it is particularly popular in more than fifty countries. It was characterised as an Olympic sport in 1985, but has not yet been included in the Olympic Games programme.
In 1978 it was introduced in Greece and in 1999 it was included in the Hellenic Air Sports Federation (HASF). Nowadays hang gliding is becoming more and more popular in the country and as a result there are many clubs that can provide training for people interested in learning the sport.
Parapente (Paragliding) took its name from the French words "parachute" and pente (mountain side). It originated in the ‘60s from a NASA programme, but practically it was established in the mid ‘80s in France.
The sport requires good physical condition, excellent technique, mental clarity and peace of mind, perceptivity, as well as knowledge of meteorology and aerodynamics (the latter being provided by special instructors). Depending on the weather, the parapente (paraglider) can reach a height of 4,000 metres and cover a distance of 2-2.5 km. The flights last a couple of hours and speed ranges from 48 to 60 km/h.
Greece has the ideal climate for parapente (paragliding) flights, since the drier the climate of an area or country is, the better it is for the development of the sport.
Rivers
The rivers of Greece are relatively small, they follow the direction of valleys and discharge into the Greek seas. They are generally shallow and descend in rapids; none of them is navigable, with the exception of Evros and Loudia Rivers which in certain parts are navigable by boat.
Greece 's longest rivers are Evros and Axios. However, they both originate outside the Greek territory, Evros in Bulgaria and Axios in F.Y.R.O.M. (their route across Greece is of a rather limited length). The longest river that rises in the country is Aliakmon River flowing across Western Macedonia and emptying into Thermaikos Gulf Macedonia).
Most rivers support important ecosystems along their banks, while in many cases wetlands of international importance are formed in the area of their delta.
Furthermore, on many Greek rivers local authorities and other bodies (municipalities, local clubs, private enterprises, etc.) organise extreme sports activities, such as canoe-kayak, rafting, monoraft, hydrospeed, etc.
All texts for Extrme sports are taken from Greek National Tourist Organisation.
