Athens, October 29, 2014 – On Sunday, October 26th, the official inauguration of the exhibition of the Spyros Louis Cup took place in the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. The Cup moved to the Olympic Museum in September from the Acropolis Museum where it had remained for two years. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation acquired the Spyros Louis Cup during an international auction in April 2012. The Foundation announced immediately its commitment to make the Cup available to the general public.
The inauguration of the exhibition was organized by the Olympic Museum, on the occasion of the international marathon of Lausanne, carried out on the same day, with the participation of approximately 3,000 runners from around the world. The event, which marked the inauguration of the Cup’s exhibition at the Museum, was attended, among others, by the president of the International Olympic Committee, Mr. Thomas Bach, the Greek Ambassador to Switzerland, Mr. Charalambos Manesis, representatives of the local authorities and representatives of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. The inauguration was followed by the award ceremony of the winners of the International Marathon.
The Silver Cup awarded to Spyros Louis was moved to the Olympic Museum in Lausanne in September, where it will remain until March 2015, giving the opportunity to visitors from around the world to admire it up close and learn about its history.
Following its display at the Olympic Museum, the Cup will return to Greece, and will be exhibited at the Acropolis Museum again, free of charge. Upon completion of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), the historic Cup will be permanently displayed there.
# # #
About the Stavros Niarchos Foundation
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) (www.SNF.org) is one of the world’s leading international philanthropic organizations, making grants in the areas of arts and culture, education, health and sports, and social welfare. The Foundation funds organizations and projects that exhibit strong leadership and sound management and are expected to achieve a broad, lasting and positive social impact. The Foundation also seeks actively to support projects that facilitate the formation of public-private partnerships as effective means for serving public welfare.
From 1996 until today, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation has approved grant commitments of $1.45 billion / €1.10 billion, through 2,718 grants to nonprofit organizations in 110 nations around the world. .
In 2012 and 2013, the Foundation announced two new initiatives of €100,000,000 ($130 million) each, to help the efforts to address the crisis in Greece. While the initiative in 2012, which has almost been completed, aimed to provide immediate relief against the adverse effects of the deepening crisis, the one in 2013 aims to address the high percentage of youth unemployment, seeking to create better employment prospects and new opportunities for the young.
The Foundation’s largest single gift ($796 million / €566 million) is the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) in Athens, which is expected to be completed in 2016. The project includes the new facilities of the National Library of Greece, and of the Greek National Opera, as well as the Stavros Niarchos Park. The SNFCC is a testament and a commitment to the country’s future. It is also an engine of short- to mid-term economic stimulus.
The Board of Directors of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation consists of: Andreas Dracopoulos – Co-President, Spyros Niarchos – Co-President, Philip Niarchos –Co-President, George Agouridis and Heini Murer.
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation was elected and will be a Board Member of the European Foundation Centre (www.efc.be) for 2014-2017.
Lauren Hiznay
Account Executive
Goodman Media International, Inc.
750 7th Avenue | 28th Floor | New York, NY 10019-6834
