Olympiacos SFP (men's volleyball) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Olympiacos

Nickname	Thrylos (The Legend) Erythrolefkoi (The Red-Whites)
Founded	1926
Ground	Melina Merkouri Indoor Hall (Capacity: 1,800)
Chairman	Michalis Kountouris
Manager	Andrea Gardini
League	A1 Greek Volleyleague CEV Champions League CEV Cup
2023–24	1st (Champion)
Website	Club home page
Uniforms
Home 　 Away

Olympiacos Men's Volleyball is a super successful volleyball team from Greece. They are part of a bigger sports club called Olympiacos SFP, which is based in Piraeus, a city in Attica. The volleyball team started way back in 1926. They play their home games at the Melina Merkouri Indoor Hall.

Olympiacos is known as the most successful volleyball club in Greek history! They have won an amazing 32 Greek Volley League titles, 17 Cups, and 6 League Cups. They also have 2 Super Cups. What's really cool is that they are the only Greek volleyball club to win European titles. They have won 3 European trophies: 2 CEV Cups (in 1996 and 2005) and 1 CEV Challenge Cup (in 2023). Olympiacos is a very strong team in European volleyball. They have played in 8 European finals in total, including being runners-up twice in the CEV Champions League.

The team has had some incredible winning streaks. They hold the record for winning the most Greek championships in a row, with eight titles from 1987 to 1994! They also won seven championships without losing a single game. Their best time in Europe was between 1992 and 2005. During this period, they won two European trophies and reached the "final four" stage (where the top four teams play) eleven times. In 2023, they won the 2022–23 CEV Challenge Cup by beating their rivals Panathinaikos and then Maccabi Tel Aviv in the final.

Olympiacos is super popular in Greece, so their men's volleyball team gets amazing support from their fans. Many great Greek players have played for them, like Marios Giourdas and Kostas Christofidelis. They have also had famous international players join their team, such as Ivan Miljković, Lorenzo Bernardi, and Jeff Stork.

What Trophies Has Olympiacos Won?

Winning in Greece

Olympiacos first volleyball team in 1926

• Greek Volley League
  • Winners (32) (record): 1968, 1968−69, 1973−74, 1975−76, 1977−78, 1978−79, 1979−80, 1980−81, 1982−83, 1986−87, 1987−88, 1988−89, 1989−90, 1990−91, 1991−92, 1992−93, 1993−94, 1997−98, 1998−99, 1999−00, 2000−01, 2002−03, 2008−09, 2009−10, 2010−11, 2012−13, 2013−14, 2017−18, 2018−19, 2020−21, 2022−23, 2023−24
• Greek Cup
  • Winners (17) (record): 1980−81, 1982−83, 1988−89, 1989−90, 1991−92, 1992−93, 1996−97, 1997−98, 1998−99, 2000−01, 2008−09, 2010−11, 2012−13, 2013−14, 2015−16, 2016−17, 2023−24
• Greek League Cup
  • Winners (6) (record): 2012−13, 2014−15, 2015−16, 2016−17, 2017−18, 2018−19
• Greek Super Cup
  • Winners (2): 2000, 2010
• Double (winning the League and Cup in the same season)
  • Winners (15) (record): 1980−81, 1982−83, 1988−89, 1989−90, 1991−92, 1992−93, 1993−94, 1997−98, 1998−99, 2000−01, 2008−09, 2010−11, 2012−13, 2013−14, 2023−24

Winning in Europe

• CEV Champions League
  • Runners-up (2): 1991−92, 2001−02
• CEV Cup Winners' Cup / CEV Top Teams Cup / CEV Cup
  • Winners (2): 1995−96, 2004−05
  • Runners-up (2): 1996−97, 1997−98
• CEV Challenge Cup
  • Winners (1): 2022–23
  • Runners-up (1): 2017–18

Winning Worldwide

• FIVB Volleyball Men's Club World Championship:
  • 3rd place (1): 1992

Olympiacos in European Competitions

This table shows how Olympiacos has performed in the biggest European volleyball tournaments.

How Olympiacos Won 3 European Titles

Winning the 1996 CEV Cup Winners' Cup

Round	Team	Home	Away
Semifinal	Alcom Capelle	3–1
Final	Bayer Wuppertal	3–2

Winning the 2005 CEV Top Teams Cup

Round	Team	Home	Away
Semifinal	VK Dukla Liberec	3–0
Final	Ortec Nesselande Rotterdam	3–0

Winning the 2023 CEV Challenge Cup

Round	Team	Home	Away
Semifinals	Panathinaikos Athens	1–3	1–4 (Golden Set)
Finals	Maccabi Tel Aviv	3–0	0–3

Amazing Fan Support

Olympiacos volleyball logo

Olympiacos fans are famous for how much passion and energy they bring to games! The atmosphere at their home matches is super intense and exciting. It's something you don't often see in volleyball. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Olympiacos was one of the best teams in Europe. They had some of the most dedicated fans too.

In 1992, about 20,000 Olympiacos fans filled the Peace and Friendship Stadium for the CEV Champions League Final Four. Volleyball legend Karch Kiraly (who won three Olympic gold medals!) played against Olympiacos in that final. He said it was an "unbelievable atmosphere" and he "cherished the Greek supporters and the passion of Olympiacos fans for volleyball."

In 1996, the CEV Cup Winners' Cup Final Four was also held in Piraeus. Around 18,000 to 20,000 Olympiacos fans packed the stadium. They created an amazing atmosphere that helped their team win their first European title! After the win, hundreds of excited fans ran onto the court to celebrate with the players.

In 2005, Olympiacos hosted another European final, the CEV Top Teams Cup. Again, 15,000 fans filled the Peace and Friendship Stadium. Their energy helped Olympiacos win their second European title.

More recently, in 2018, about 12,000 Olympiacos fans created an extraordinary atmosphere in the final of the 2017–18 CEV Challenge Cup. A player from the opposing team, Paul Buchegger, said, "The atmosphere, the fans were really great. It was a 'red hell,' when I entered the court I had goose bumps. I have never played in front of such a big crowd."

On March 15, 2023, 13,000 Olympiacos fans filled the Peace and Friendship Stadium. They helped Olympiacos win their third European title, the 2022–23 CEV Challenge Cup, by beating Maccabi Tel Aviv 3–0 in the final match.

Famous Players of Olympiacos

• 

  Ivan Miljković

• 

  Lorenzo Bernardi

• 

  Dragan Travica

• 

  Salvador Hidalgo Oliva

• 

  Tom Hoff

• 

  Fabian Drzyzga

• 

  Goran Vujević

• 

  Janne Heikkinen

• 

  Mitar Đurić

• 

  Plamen Konstantinov

• 

  Boyan Yordanov

• 

  Osvaldo Hernández

• 

  Alen Pajenk

• 

  Todor Aleksiev

• 

  Olli Kunnari

Coaches Who Led Olympiacos

Ljubomir Travica

Zoran Gajić

Meet the 2023–2024 Team Squad

Daniel Castellani

Shirt No	Nationality	Player	Birth Date	Height	Position
1	Greece	Vangelis Vaiopoulos	(2004-05-23) May 23, 2004 (age 21)	2.01	Middle blocker
2	Slovenia	Alen Pajenk	(1986-04-23) April 23, 1986 (age 39)	2.02	Middle blocker
3	Greece	Dimitrios Gkaras	(1985-11-12) November 12, 1985 (age 39)	1.85	Libero
4	Greece	Dimitris Komitoudis	(1995-10-04) October 4, 1995 (age 29)	1.94	Setter
5	Slovenia	Štern, TončekTonček Štern	(1995-11-14) November 14, 1995 (age 29)	2.00	Opposite
6	Greece	Vasilis Karasavvidis	(1995-03-17) March 17, 1995 (age 30)	1.98	Setter
8	Brazil	Gustavo Bonatto	(1986-01-02) January 2, 1986 (age 39)	2.15	Middle blocker
10	Greece	Rafail Koumentakis	(1993-05-05) May 5, 1993 (age 32)	2.03	Οutside Hitter
11	Greece	Spyros Chandrinos	(2001-02-24) February 24, 2001 (age 24)	2.00	Οutside Hitter
12	Greece	Nikos Zoupani	(1989-03-18) March 18, 1989 (age 36)	2.02	Opposite
14	Italy	Dragan Travica (c)	(1986-08-28) August 28, 1986 (age 38)	2.00	Setter
15	Greece	Dimitris Tziavras	(1999-02-16) February 16, 1999 (age 26)	1.77	Libero
17	Greece	Anestis Dalakouras	(1993-06-18) June 18, 1993 (age 32)	1.99	Outside hitter
21	Greece	Mitar Tzourits	(1989-04-25) April 25, 1989 (age 36)	2.11	Middle blocker
23	Cuba	Salvador Hidalgo Oliva	(1985-12-27) December 27, 1985 (age 39)	1.98	Οutside Hitter

Who Manages the Team?

Name	Job
Andrea Gardini	Head Coach
Antonis Vourderis	Assistant Coach

Team Captains Through the Years

• Michalis Triantafyllidis (1989–1994)
• Sakis Moustakidis (1994–1996)
• Giorgos Dragovits (1996–2001)
• Marios Giourdas (2001–2003)
• Antonis Tsakiropoulos (2003–2007)
• Vasilis Kournetas (2007–2009)
• Dimitris Soultanopoulos (2009–2010)
• Andreas Andreadis (2010–2012)
• Kostas Christofidelis (2012–2015)
• Menelaos Kokkinakis (2015–2017)
• Kostas Christofidelis (2017–2019)
• Giorgos Petreas (2019–2020)
• Kostas Stivachtis (2020–2022)
• Dragan Travica (2022–present)

Olympiacos League Performance History

This table shows how many times Olympiacos has finished in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th place in the Greek Volleyleague.

See also

• Olympiacos Women's Volleyball Team