More Than 4.000 Participations From 28 Countries In 63 Activities At Navarino Challenge 2024

This year's top sports tourism and wellness event, Navarino Challenge, was held from October 18-20 and highlighted sports, wellness, longevity, and gastronomy. In its 12th year, the event gathered amateur and professional athletes of all ages and abilities to participate in 63 activities at Costa Navarino, in The Westin Resort Costa Navarino, W Costa Navarino, and the Municipality of Pylos-Nestor.

More than 4,000 participations in the 12th Navarino Challenge ranged in age from 1 month to 72 years, representing 28 countries from 4 continents, including among others USA, Canada, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, South Korea, Australia, UK, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy.

The event showcased through its 2024 activities Navarino Bay, the island of Sphacteria, the Gialova Lagoon, Voidokilia Beach (which are both part of Natura 2000 network), Niokastro, and Paleokastro, as well as Pylos, Chora, Methoni, and Koroni.

Sports Unites People

Navarino Challenge brought together amateurs and professionals who shared the value of fair play alongside Olympians. Participants trained side by side with major sports personalities, Olympians and Paralympians, including Lefteris Petrounias, Pavlos Kagialis, Antigoni Ntrismpioti, Periklis Iakovakis, Dimitris Papanikolaou, Evina Maltsi, Grigoris Polychronidis, Nasos Ghavelas champions including Vasiliki Millousi, Kostas Katsouranis, Joe Arlauckas, they met great athletes such as Konstantine “Dean” Karnazes, Michalis Triantafyllidis, Liza Triantafyllidi, Stavros Triantafyllidis, Mike Styllas, Panagiotis Kotronaros, George Dimoulas, Alexandros Tzoumakas, Georgia Kaltsi, Giorgos Lazaridis, Jo Manta while trained and led into the secrets of their activities from Georgios Chatziefstathiou, Antonis Tantalidis, Dimitris Moros, Mandy Persaki, Valia Moralis, Aggelos Giakoumidis and Efi Chatzigeorgaki.  



A Night Full of Emotions

• Two years after the passing of two-time Olympic silver medalist in taekwondo Alexandros Nikolaidis, the event, along with his family, presented the 2nd “Alexandros Nikolaidis” award, established by the Hellenic Olympic Committee and Navarino Challenge. In the presence of his wife Dora Tsambazi, and their children, the award was given to the Olympian and two-time European champion in racewalking, Antigoni Ntrismpioti, who stands out for her ethics and serves as a role model for young people. The event was also attended by the President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, Mr. Spyros Capralos, who spoke about Alexandros.
• Holders of 7 Paralympic medals in boccia, Grigoris Polychronidis and Katerina Patroni, along with their daughter, were honored by Ms. Mary Karageorgou, External Affairs Director of Novo Nordisk Hellas, for promoting sports as a family role model.  
• The distinguished climber who led the first Greek expedition to Everest 20 years ago, Mike Styllas, was awarded by The North Face’s Country Manager, Mr. Elias Kanakis.
• Olympian and two-time European champion Dimitris Papanikolaou was awarded by Ms. Maira Passia, Group Corporate Communications & Sustainability Director of MOTODYNAMICS Group, and Mr. Antonios Markoutsas, Business Development Manager of SIXT Greece. Dimitris Papanikolaou captivated the audience with his speech on inclusion, inviting his daughter Aria on stage.  
• The European champion and Euro 2004 Legend Kostas Katsouranis was honored by Mr. Thanos Kyriazis, Managing Director of Miele Hellas.
• The legend of Greek climbing who led the first Greek expedition to Everest, Panagiotis Kotronaros, was honored by Mr. Ilias Liberis, Brand and Media Manager of Vikos S.A.
• Olympic bronze medalist in sailing Pavlos Kagialis was awarded by Ms. Maira Passia, Group Corporate Communications & Sustainability Director of MOTODYNAMICS Group  
• Olympic gold and two-time bronze medalist Lefteris Petrounias was awarded by Mr. Giorgos Panageas, Facilities Management Director of TEMES.
• Finally, Paralympic two-time gold medalist in the 100m T11, Nasos Ghavelas, a continuator of the Olympian Kostis Tsiklitiras, who hails from Pylos, was honored by the Mayor of Pylos-Nestor, Mr. Panagiotis Karvelas. Nasos Ghavelas spoke with great strength about his races and how he envisioned them during training, inspiring everyone to continue pursuing their dreams in life.

See the running event results HERE!

• Navarino Bay Challenge (Rappelling) powered by The North Face took place for the first time on the island of Sphacteria, in the Bay of Navarino, led by the experienced Navarino Outdoors team. This event was supported by top mountaineer, climber and The North Face ambassador, Panagiotis Kotronaros, who led the National Mountaineering Team during the first successful ascent of a Greek expedition to Mount Everest. All participants were transported to Sphacteria with comfort and safety aboard the premium vessels of Elite Boats.
• Kayaking on the island of Sphacteria powered by YAMAHA, part of the MOTODYNAMICS Group, with the support of Moraitis Watersports.
• 2km walk powered by Novo Nordisk from the house of Olympian Kostis Tsiklitiras to Niokastro, with participants enjoying the sunset at Tsichli Baba and the island of Sphacteria.
• Skateboarding supported by the dynamic Free Movement Skateboarding team, a “family” that always brings joy and helps you get up when you fall, took place in Pylos, Koroni, and Chora.

The three-day series of events concluded on Sunday, October 20, in the Municipality of Pylos-Nestor with:

• The historical reenactment of the Battle of Navarino, known as “Navarinia” with crowds filling the streets of Pylos.

Navarino Challenge, in collaboration with the Municipality of Pylos-Nestor and the MOTODYNAMICS Group, organized a series of educational activities:  

• Diversity Workshop powered by MOTODYNAMICS Group, featuring former international basketball player and European champion, MOTODYNAMICS ambassador Dimitris Papanikolaou. The workshop was held for elementary, middle, and high school students of the Municipality of Pylos-Nestor.  
• Road Safety Seminar titled “Drive Change Move Safe” led by motorsports coach Thanasis Chountras, for high school students from Pylos and Methoni.
• Book Donation to Tsiklitiras House: Through the Library4All organization, the library at Tsiklitiras House in Pylos was enriched. Attendees were encouraged to donate a book in good condition, and MOTODYNAMICS Group committed to donating the same number of new books to Library4All. The Open Library initiative took place at Tsiklitiras House, with the presence of the Mayor of Pylos-Nestor Panagiotis Karvelas, educator and founding member of Library4All Eleni Geroulanou, and MOTODYNAMICS ambassador Dimitris Papanikolaou, collecting over 70 books.

Moreover an:

• Awareness and Information Session on childhood, adolescent, and adult obesity powered by Novo Nordisk, was organized with participation from Novo Nordisk Hellas External Affairs Director Mary Karageorgou, endocrinologist-diabetologist Dr. Spyros Sapounas (vice-president of the National Organization for Medicines [EOF] and former vice-president of the Hellenic National Public Health Organization [EODY]), nutritionist-dietician Aspasia Tsoka, and ultramarathon runner Joe Manta, the first Greek woman to finish the Spartathlon this year (246km).

Environmental Actions – First Event with Medals Made from Recyclable Materials

The following environmental initiatives were part of the event:

• In a world where environmental sustainability is more critical than ever, Navarino Challenge, with the help of Team Recycle, took significant steps to transform plastic waste into something truly valuable: medals for participants. Navarino Challenge became the first event in Greece and the second in Europe to offer medals made from 100% recyclable materials to participants in the 21.1km, 10km, and 5km races. Our mission was simple: to create beautiful, durable medals from high-density recycled plastic (HDPE) collected from homes and schools. By repurposing these materials instead of sending them to landfills, we transformed potential waste into symbols of achievement and resilience. Each medal tells a story—not only of the participant’s hard work and success but also of our shared commitment to a more sustainable future.
• During the awards ceremony, Miele held a contest for a premium Miele coffee machine. Participants were given an original bracelet made from seed paper. This bracelet didn't need to be thrown away; when planted in soil, the paper biodegrades, releasing the seeds into the earth, where they bloom.
• The cleaning of Gialova Beach, powered by the MOTODYNAMICS Cleaning Team, with the participation of athletes, ambassadors, and executives of the MOTODYNAMICS Group, in collaboration with Moraitis Watersports and volunteers from the Athens University of Economics and Business.
• The cleaning of the running routes by the team of the event's Sustainability Partner, p³=Plastic Pollution Prevention.
• All packaging used during the running events was recycled.
• Recyclable material bags were provided to participants.

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