“Nikos Samaras” Award

The Organizing Committee awards this year’s “Nikos Samaras” prize to Demosthenes Tabakos for his overall contribution to the field of gymnastics and sports in general. Demosthenes Tabakos, an outstanding individual athlete, has emerged as one of the brightest names in gymnastics, achieving the highest recognition on the international stage. His impressive journey includes winning the gold Olympic medal in Athens and the silver one in Sydney in the rings event, placing him among the top athletes in the history of the sport in our country and beyond.

The accolade bestowed upon Demosthenes Tabakos at the 32nd International Conference on Physical Education & Sports reflects not only his athletic achievements but also the significant role he has played, serving both as a role model and inspiration for young athletes and an advocate for physical fitness and a healthy lifestyle.

Born in Thessaloniki on November 12, 1976, he began his involvement in gymnastics at the age of 7. In addition to numerous Olympic medals, among dozens of competitive distinctions at the international level, he has secured the gold medal in the same discipline at the World Championships (Los Angeles 2003) and the gold medal at the European Championships (Bremen 2000, Ljubljana 2003). Furthermore, he earned a bronze medal at a World Championship (Tianjin 1999), a silver and a bronze at European Championships (Patras 2002, St. Petersburg 1998), and a bronze at the European Masters with the National Team (Patras 1999).

In 1997, a groundbreaking move on the rings, transitioning from the cross to the inverted cross with a stretched body and without the aid of vertical support, introduced a new dimension to the rings discipline on a global scale. In 2000, he introduced two new exercises later recorded in the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) Code of Points as Tabakos and Tabakos II exercises.

He is a graduate of the Department of Physical Education and Sport Science at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and he holds a postgraduate degree in School Physical Education from the Interdisciplinary Postgraduate Program of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, “Health and Human Performance.”

He is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Hellenic Air Force and the Head of the Design & Research Office at the Supreme Council of Sports for the Armed Forces.

He has collaborated with College Coaching and Vocational Training Institutes, sports clubs, and schools as a Physical Education teacher and as the Head of the Olympic Education Sector (IEK Hippocrates, Hellenic-French School St Joseph, Hill School, Scientific College of Greece, etc.).

Invited as a speaker at numerous conferences and scientific events, since 2016, he has been responsible for designing and implementing programs related to exercise in preschool age, conducted with the support of the Hellenic Army General Staff, in Preschool Centers of the Armed Forces.

He is married to Anastasia Donti, the coach of the National Women’s Rhythmic Gymnastics Team and a member of the Hellenic Gymnastics Federation’s Special Advisory Committee at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. They have two daughters, Iriana and Aria.

The “Nikos Samaras” award has been established in honor of the unforgettable volleyball player who unexpectedly passed away in 2013. It is presented annually as part of the International Congress on Physical Education & Sports, recognizing the contributions of significant individuals to the field of sports.

Nikos Samaras, hailing from Orestiada and an alumnus of the Physical Education and Sports Science Department of the Democritus University of Thrace, remains one of the most prominent names in Greek volleyball and an enduring athletic symbol despite his premature departure.

Recipients of the “Nikos Samaras” award have included distinguished figures such as Olympic triple jump champion Pigi Devetzi, marathon runner Ioannis Tsianos, Paralympic swimmer Demosthenes Michalentzakis, and the ambassador of “exercise is medicine,” Ada Stamatatou.