Olympiacos, the most successful multi-sport club in Europe, was founded 100 years ago in the heart of the country’s most important port and managed to win the love and loyalty of millions of fans around the world. However, Olympiacos is not only limited to the playing fields, courts, pitches and pools.
From 2010 onwards, the Club has emphasized its constant and substantial contribution to society – and especially towards the Piraeus area, where its history began. The Club’s president, Evangelos Marinakis, has provided the vision and direction for the creation of the Olympiacos Foundation, which is not just a charitable organization, but a vibrant and integral activity of the Club, bringing together the citizens of Piraeus and the rest of Greece.
The Olympiacos Foundation was created with the philosophy to strengthen the connection of Olympiacos with society. It is not just an ambition to enhance the Olympiacos’ image, but a constant, continuous effort to offer to every corner of the world, with the focus of course on Piraeus. Olympiacos, with the initiative by Marinakis, proves that it is more than just a sports power. In essence, it’s a pillar of social responsibility that connects sport with society.
It’s all in a day’s work
Under Marinakis, Olympiacos’ social outreach activities have become part of the Club’s everyday activities. Since 2010, Olympiacos has undertaken more than 50 actions, covering every type of contribution to society. One of the first important steps was taken in December 2010, when Olympiacos, in cooperation with the UN Development Program, hosted the 8th Race against Poverty at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium. The event, which was attended by football legends including Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo, sought to raise funds to assist victims of natural disasters in Pakistan and Haiti. Broadcast in more than 30 countries, it was the first of a series of international charity activities undertaken by the Club.
A year later, in 2011, Evangelos Marinakis supported the rebuilding effort in Japan in the wake of the devastating tsunami. Olympiacos was the first international football team to approach Japanese representatives, inviting the ambassador to a special ceremony at which he was presented with a check from the team to aid in the nation’s response to the natural disaster.
With the financial crisis eroding Greece’s social fabric, Marinakis bought 1,364,000 euros of Greek debt and donated 168,590 euros through the NGO Greece Debt Free, on behalf of the 55 players and employees of Olympiacos FC.
2013 was a milestone year for Olympiacos’ social action, as its partnership with UNICEF was announced in financing a vaccination program for children facing serious health risks in various countries around the world.
In April 2022, through Marinakis, the club showed its support for Ukrainians forced to flee their country after the Russian invasion by holding a friendly with Shakhtar Donetsk at the Karaiskakis Stadium. All 102,000 euros raised in the Game for Peace were used to provide humanitarian aid to the victims and provide Ukrainian refugees with essentials.
The people that comprise Olympiacos carry essentials to flood victims, proving that solidarity is embedded deep in the club’s DNA. In the photo, the Club’s ticket manager, Panagiotis Bantounas.
Humanitarian actions
Over and above its international initiatives, Olympiacos has not neglected its local community. During the refugee crisis, Olympiacos was one of the first organizations to offer help to the refugees who, arriving in Piraeus in their thousands, were unable to proceed beyond the port gates. Guided by Marinakis, the Olympiacos Foundation undertook to provide food, water and clothes to the thousands of refugees, starting on March 4, 2016, and only ending two months later, when the state took over the responsibility. More than 70,000 meals were delivered, while 150,000 items of clothing and toys were handed out.
At the same time, the Club has supported the work of the Holy Metropolis of Piraeus for many years, both with financial donations and with soup kitchens which provide thousands of people with daily hot meals.
Making its mark
Marinakis’ personal commitment to giving back to the community and supporting his fellow human beings is what sets Olympiacos apart.
As the driving force behind the Reds, Marinakis has played a leading role in numerous charitable efforts, either through donations or providing support to organizations that help marginalized social groups. In so doing, he has created a model for sporting ambition that combines success with social responsibility.
The Club has provided moral and financial support to “Elpida”, the Association of Friends of Children with Cancer, annually since 2010, while it has also supported the work of Harvard University and the Right to Participate in Sports without Discrimination in practice internationally.
In 2017, Marinakis made a donation to “Children’s Hearts”, the Association of Northern Greece for People with Congenital Heart Diseases, for the purchase of equipment for the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic at the AHEPA Hospital in Thessaloniki. The donation was made in memory of his father, Miltiadis Marinakis, through Olympiacos FC.
Deeply rooted
Olympiacos’ links with Piraeus are not limited to the club’s origins; they are also expressed through its ongoing contribution to the city. The greater Piraeus area has always been the home of Olympiacos, and the Foundation is very much in tune with the needs of the community.
Olympiacos has also undertaken important initiatives that support the economy, culture and social integration of its home city. Through partnerships with local organizations, the club ensures that Piraeus is more than simply the city the football club calls home; that it is also the community in which the activities of the Olympiacos Foundation are founded.
“Together for Life! – Together in Olympiacos!” is one of the Foundation’s most innovative programs. Launched in 2016, it aims to integrate people with mental disabilities into sport. The program spotlights Olympiacos’ philosophy of social inclusivity and has been recognized as a European best practice. Through daily training at the Olympiacos Academy, students with mental disabilities get the opportunity to participate in sports activities and develop skills that help them integrate into society.
In the 2022-23 season, Olympiacos became the first team in Europe to permanently install an audio description service for people with visual disabilities at all games at the Karaiskakis stadium, in cooperation with the Panteion University of Political and Social Sciences. 
Present where there’s a need
There is no shortage of humanity in the history of Olympiacos, which has always done its level best to provide assistance to people in need. When the nearby town of Mandra was flooded in 2017, Olympiacos stood by the residents, providing food, necessities, and financial assistance. Olympiacos also supported the victims of the earthquakes in Elassona in 2021, and of the wildfires that wreaked havoc on northern Evia in the same year.
In 2023, the Club demonstrated its social responsibility once again when floods hit the Thessaly province in September. On the initiative of Marinakis, trucks carrying 30,000 bottles of water were dispatched to the city of Volos and others loaded with 25,000 bottles of water, boxes of dry food, and basic necessities for elderly people were sent to Karditsa.
Olympiacos really is much more than just a sports club. It is a social solidarity organization underpinned by principles and values that extend well beyond the bounds of sport. It is a pillar of the community whose actions and presence serve as a constant reminder that sport and social responsibility go hand
