AegeanBall Festival: The basketball extravaganza that makes Syros an attraction for thousands of visitors

The Stoiximan AegeanBall Festival, the largest 3x3 tournament in Greece, which has been running for seven years, is returning this year to Miaouli Square in Ermoupolis from June 27 to 29, with international sporting prestige, a social footprint, and a touristic dynamic that contributes to the extension of the season on the island.

The “soul” of the tournament, which is organized by the municipality of Syros-Ermoupolis, Pro Game and the Region of N. Aegean, is the international basketball player George Printezis, the iconic Syrian champion who has been recognized as one of the top 25 players in the history of the Euroleague, who since 2017 has transformed his vision into a national institution for basketball.

This year's event, as everything indicates, will be the most upgraded to date, both organizationally and qualitatively, while emphasis will be placed on the "pure" basketball element of the tournament, and not so much on the glamour of celebrities. However, so far, the participation of four renowned stars of European basketball has been "locked".

Strong "boost" in tourism with emphasis on lengthening

The Stoiximan AegeanBall Festival's footprint also extends to tourism, with the event being held just before the start of the high season, in order to further expand interest in visits to the island from June.

As the mayor of Syros-Ermoupolis, Mr. Alexis Athanasiou, pointed out in his statements to Tornos News, all municipal authorities seek to place sports, cultural and tourist events before and after the high season - in a range from April to October - with the aim of lengthening the peak tourist period, which, however, is not characterized by overtourism but, sometimes, by oversaturation, as he emphasized.

Besides, the end of June as a time period for holding the basketball tournament is ideal as the stars of the sport are "released" from the championships of the year.

Over 2,000 visitors to Syros for the tournament

Data from the Municipality, the Syros Port Authority, the airport, and the event organization show that the Stoiximan AegeanBall Festival is responsible for attracting more than 2,000 visitors to the island, with reservations for the three-day event significantly increased compared to days without the event.

In addition, there is a response from international visitors, with French, Dutch, and German tourists who own holiday homes on Syros visiting the island in June to watch the tournament. After all, the tournament has also been “embraced” by the youth of the island and neighboring islands, such as Tinos and Mykonos, while the stars of the sport from Europe also bring visitors with them.

Last year, the tournament set a record of 2,500 visitors on a daily basis, and participation from 156 teams with a total of 440 athletes. This year, the organizers report that these numbers will be exceeded. In fact, in the organization of the tournament in the past, with George Printezis as the "vehicle" but also the establishment of the event as an institution, the participation of international basketball stars had reached 9.

The creation of an indoor basketball court is imperative

As Mr. Athanasiou mentioned, due to the increased interest from children, with registrations having already begun for this year's organization, a competition program has been condensed into a three-day period that is not nearly enough for all the participants who are expected to be gathered. “If we had a worthy indoor basketball court, which we hope will be completed this year so that we can have it by the end of 2026, we could hold the games there so that we can have more participation,” he said.

In fact, at a press conference held by the organizers of the Stoiximan AegeanBall Festival, Mr. Athanasiou pledged that there would be developments regarding the financing of the project in May.

Innovative program for the next Greek champions

As stated during the press conference by the Alternate Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, Mr. Yiannis Vroutsis, the Ministry is ready to support the construction of an indoor basketball court in Syros, if a relevant request is submitted. Projects have already been launched, such as the construction of a new volleyball court on the island.

As he underlined, 100 projects in the field of sports are being launched throughout the country in a fair and proportionate manner, as well as in the Cyclades, which are entering the sports map for the first time, with one project on each island.

Mr. Vroutsis also announced an innovative, scientifically documented program, the first in the history of Greece, to find new talents in sports, which is expected to be included in the ministry's agenda in September.

The program, which will aim to promote sportsmanship, will be carried out with the participation of a private company and under the umbrella of "DIMITRIOS VIKELAS", as he said, and will start from schools in order to give young people the opportunity to be evaluated for their talent in sports.

At the same time, the Stoiximan AegeanBall Festival also carries a message of social contribution and participation, which remains the core of its philosophy. Renovations of fields, donations of equipment to the Syros Hospital, and social responsibility actions reinforce its character as something more than a simple basketball tournament.

Very positive messages for the season in Syros

Regarding the tourist traffic in Syros in 2025, the mayor of Syros-Ermoupolis spoke of a very good tourist season, with a very positive start to Holy Week where 11,500 Greek and foreign visitors were recorded, and with very positive messages for June.

The geological phenomenon of Santorini, said Mr. Athanasiou, which affected all the islands of the South Aegean, reduced the number of school trips to Syros from March to May due to the climate of concern and despite the decline of the phenomenon.

However, he emphasized that for islands such as Syros, which depend on Greek visitors, there should be discussions with the relevant ministries in order to address the issue of high ferry ticket prices, which are a brake on the travel flows of Greeks.

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