Olympiacos SFP (men's volleyball) facts for kids
Nickname | Thrylos (The Legend) Erythrolefkoi (The Red-Whites) |
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Founded | 1926 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ground | Melina Merkouri Indoor Hall (Capacity: 1,800) |
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Chairman | Michalis Kountouris | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manager | Andrea Gardini | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
League | A1 Greek Volleyleague CEV Champions League CEV Cup |
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2023–24 | 1st (Champion) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Website | Club home page | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Uniforms | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
Contents
What Trophies Has Olympiacos Won?
Winning in Greece
- 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
Olympiacos in European Competitions
This table shows how Olympiacos has performed in the biggest European volleyball tournaments.
Season | Achievement | Notes | |
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CEV Champions League | |||
1991–92 | Final | Won 3–0 against CSKA Moscow in the semi-final, but lost 0–3 to il Messaggero Ravenna in the final. | |
1992–93 | Final Four | Finished 3rd. Lost in the semi-final, but won the 3rd place game. | |
1994–95 | Final Four | Finished 3rd. Lost in the semi-final, but won the 3rd place game. | |
2001–02 | Final | Won 3–1 in the semi-final, but lost 1–3 to Lube Banca Macerata in the final. | |
CEV Cup Winners Cup / CEV Top Teams Cup / CEV Cup | |||
1995–96 | Winners | Won 3–1 in the semi-final, then won 3–2 against Bayer Wuppertal in the final! | |
1996–97 | Final | Won 3–1 in the semi-final, but lost 0–3 to Alpitour Traco Cuneo in the final. | |
1997–98 | Final | Won 3–0 in the semi-final, but lost 0–3 to Alpitour Traco Cuneo in the final. | |
2004–05 | Winners | Won 3–0 in the semi-final, then won 3–0 against Ortec Nesselande Rotterdam in the final! | |
CEV Challenge Cup | |||
2017–18 | Final | Lost to Bunge Ravenna in both final matches. | |
2022–23 | Winners | Won against Panathinaikos in the semi-finals and Maccabi Tel Aviv in the finals! |
How Olympiacos Won 3 European Titles
Winning the 1996 CEV Cup Winners' Cup
Round | Team | Home | Away |
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Semifinal | ![]() |
3–1 | |
Final | ![]() |
3–2 |
Winning the 2005 CEV Top Teams Cup
Round | Team | Home | Away |
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Semifinal | ![]() |
3–0 | |
Final | ![]() |
3–0 |
Winning the 2023 CEV Challenge Cup
Round | Team | Home | Away |
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Semifinals | ![]() |
1–3 | 1–4 (Golden Set) |
Finals | ![]() |
3–0 | 0–3 |
Amazing Fan Support
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
Criteria |
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To appear in this section a player must have either:
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Michalis Alexandropoulos
Kaloudis Alexoudis
Sotiris Amarianakis
Andreas Andreadis
Christos Angelidis
Apostolos Armenakis
Theodoros Bozidis
Akis Chatziantoniou
Dimitris Chorianos
Kostas Christofidelis
Anestis Dalakouras
Theologos Daridis
Giorgos Dermatis
Christos Dimitrakopoulos
Iraklis Doriadis
Giorgos Dragovits
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Mitar Đurić
Giannis Fakas
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Dima Filippov
Andreas Frangos
Vasilis Galakos
Marios Giourdas
Dimitrios Gkaras
Kostas Goudakos
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Konrad Guzda
Makis Kanellos
Theoklitos Karipidis
Dimitris Kazazis
Menelaos Kokkinakis
Tasos Koublis
Rafail Koumentakis
Kostas Kourbetis
Vasilis Kournetas
Pavlos Kouzounis
Chrysanthos Kyriazis
Giannis Laios
Dimosthenis Linardos
Andreas Lorandos
Giorgos Lykoudis
Thanos Maroulis
Thanasis Michalopoulos
Avgoustinos Michalos
Dimitris Mitropoulos
Sakis Moustakidis
Kyriakos Pantelias
Achilleas Papadimitriou
Giorgos Papazoglou
Panagiotis Pelekoudas
Giorgos Petreas
Stefanos Polyzos
Stelios Prosalikas
Kostas Prousalis
Giannis Roumeliotakis
Nikos Roumeliotis
Nikos Smaragdis
Dimitris Soultanopoulos
Giorgos Stefanou
Kostas Stivachtis
Giannis Takouridis
Kostas Tambouratzis
Lefteris Terzakis
Andreas Theodoridis
Michalis Triantafyllidis
Antonis Tsakiropoulos
Paraskevas Tselios
Sotiris Tsergas
Dimitris Tziavras
Manos Xenakis
Vasilis Xerovasilas
Nikos Zoupanis
Jorge Elgueta
Pablo Meana
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Marcos Milinkovic
Gustavo Bonatto
Leonardo Caldeira
Athos Ferreira Costa
Paulino Dirceu
Luiz Felipe Fonteles
Todor Aleksiev
Krasimir Gaydarski
Ivaylo Gavrilov
Nikolay Jeliazkov
Plamen Konstantinov
Lyudmil Naydenov
Dimo Tonev
Hristo Tsvetanov
Boyan Yordanov
Andrey Zhekov
Justin Duff
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Jason Haldane
Gavin Schmitt
Liberman Agámez
Tomislav Čošković
Rolando Despaigne
Osvaldo Hernández
Salvador Hidalgo Oliva
Rodolfo Sánchez
Janne Heikkinen
Olli Kunnari
Mikko Oivanen
Eemi Tervaportti
Renaud Herpe
Marcus Böhme
Christian Fromm
Christian Pampel
Simon Tischer
Lorenzo Bernardi
Paolo Merlo
Dragan Travica
Hermans Egleskalns
Raimonds Vilde
Božidar Ćuk
Henk-Jan Held
Wytze Kooistra
Jeroen Rauwerdink
Fabian Drzyzga
Leszek Urbanowicz
José Rivera
Andrei Spînu
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Igor Runov
Dejan Bojović
Slobodan Boškan
Dejan Brđović
Konstantin Čupković
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Milan Jurišić
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Milan Marković
Vasa Mijić
Ivan Miljković
Aleksandar Okolic
Veljko Petković
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Goran Vujević
František Ogurčák
Alen Pajenk
Tonček Štern
Tine Urnaut
Bengt Gustafson
Andrii Diachkov
Oleksiy Gatin
Igor Popov
Carson Clark
Scott Fortune
Tom Hoff
Jayson Jablonsky
Reid Priddy
Riley Salmon
Jeff Stork
Donald Suxho
Ernardo Gómez
Iván Márquez
Andy Rojas
Coaches Who Led Olympiacos
Kostas Ampelas
Kyriakos Pantelias
Dimitar Zahariev
Giannis Laios
Vladimir Kondra
Gian Paolo Montali
Zoran Gajić
Daniele Ricci
Ljubomir Travica
Claudio Cuello
Anders Kristiansson
Giannis Kalmazidis
Dimitris Kazazis
Roberto Piazza
Slobodan Boškan
Fernando Muñoz Benitez
Alberto Giuliani
Daniel Castellani
Andrea Gardini
Meet the 2023–2024 Team Squad
Shirt No | Nationality | Player | Birth Date | Height | Position |
1 | ![]() |
Vangelis Vaiopoulos | May 23, 2004 | 2.01 | Middle blocker |
2 | ![]() |
Alen Pajenk | April 23, 1986 | 2.02 | Middle blocker |
3 | ![]() |
Dimitrios Gkaras | November 12, 1985 | 1.85 | Libero |
4 | ![]() |
Dimitris Komitoudis | October 4, 1995 | 1.94 | Setter |
5 | ![]() |
Tonček Štern | November 14, 1995 | 2.00 | Opposite |
6 | ![]() |
Vasilis Karasavvidis | March 17, 1995 | 1.98 | Setter |
8 | ![]() |
Gustavo Bonatto | January 2, 1986 | 2.15 | Middle blocker |
10 | ![]() |
Rafail Koumentakis | May 5, 1993 | 2.03 | Οutside Hitter |
11 | ![]() |
Spyros Chandrinos | February 24, 2001 | 2.00 | Οutside Hitter |
12 | ![]() |
Nikos Zoupani | March 18, 1989 | 2.02 | Opposite |
14 | ![]() |
Dragan Travica (c) | August 28, 1986 | 2.00 | Setter |
15 | ![]() |
Dimitris Tziavras | February 16, 1999 | 1.77 | Libero |
17 | ![]() |
Anestis Dalakouras | June 18, 1993 | 1.99 | Outside hitter |
21 | ![]() |
Mitar Tzourits | April 25, 1989 | 2.11 | Middle blocker |
23 | ![]() |
Salvador Hidalgo Oliva | December 27, 1985 | 1.98 | Οutside Hitter |
Who Manages the Team?
Name | Job |
![]() |
Head Coach |
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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.
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
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Times | 32 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
See also
- Olympiacos Women's Volleyball Team