Every year, in keeping with tradition, the opening ceremony of the International Session for young participants, is held on the sacred Hill of Pnyx.

This is a site of major historic significance, the place where the Athenian Democracy was born 2,500 years ago.

The summit of the hill of Pnyx was given its present shape in the 4th century B.C.

Against the magnificent backdrop of the Acropolis, high above Athens, on the Hill of the Pnyx, the world is welcomed to Greece, to the International Olympic Academy, to Olympism and to a philosophy, which is the legacy of centuries.

Prize awarding

Every year –since 2003- during the Opening Cere¬mony of the International Session for Young Partici¬pants on the hill of Pnyx, the International Olympic Academy has established to honour with the equal prize “Olympia”, “Athina”, “Delphi”, “Knossos” and “Vergina” pro-minent personalities in the sports and intellectual field who have rendered valuable services to the IOA, and the Olympic Movement and culture in general.

PERSONALITIES AWARDED BY THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC ACADEMY DURING THE OPENING CEREMONIES OF THE INTERNATIONAL SESSIONS FOR YOUNG PARTICIPANTS AT THE HILL OF PNYX

43rd International Session for Young Participants (2003)
Prize «ATHINA» Domnitsa LANITOU KAVOUNIDOU (GRE) Prize «DELPHI» GIANNA DESPOTOPOULOU (GRE) Prize «OLYMPIA» Konstantinos DESPOTOPOULOS (GRE)

44th International Session for Young Participants (2004)
Prize «ATHINA» the city of ATHENS through Dora BAKOYIANNI (GRE) and the Organising Committee of the Olympic Games « ATHINA 2004 » through Gianna ANGELOPOULOU¬DASKALAKI (GRE)
Prize «DELPHI» Voula PATOULIDOU (GRE) Prize «OLYMPIA» Juan Antonio SAMARANCH (ESP)

45th International Session for Young Participants (2005)
Prize «ATHINA» Maria HORS (GRE) Prize «DELPHI» Antonios TZIKAS (GRE) Prize «OLYMPIA» Nikolaos YALOURIS (GRE)
and Norbert MÜLLER (GER)

46th International Session for Young Participants (2006)
Prize «ATHINA» Jacques ROGGE (BEL) Prize «DELPHI» Hélène GLYKATZI AHRWEILER (GRE) Prize «OLYMPIA» Petros LINARDOS (GRE)

47th International Session for Young Participants (2007)
Prize «ATHINA» Mario VAZQUEZ RANA (MEX) Prize «DELPHI» Zhenliang HE (CHN) Prize «OLYMPIA» Gunilla LINDBERG (SWE)

48th International Session for Young Participants (2008)
Prize «ATHINA» Τhomas BACH (GER) Prize «DELPHI» Chiharu IGAYA (JPN) Prize «OLYMPIA» Sam RAMSAMY (RSA) Prize «KNOSSOS» Lassana PALENFO (CIV) Prize «VERGINA» Princess Haya Bint Al HUSSEIN (UAE)

49th International Session for Young Participants (2009)
Prize «ATHINA» Fanny PALLI PETRALIA (GRE) Prize «DELPHI» Nawal EL MOUTAWAKEL (MAR) Prize «OLYMPIA» Mohamed MZALI (TUN) Prize «KNOSSOS» Kikis LAZARIDES (CYP) Prize «VERGINA» Conrado DURANTEZ (ESP)

It has always seemed especially important for our Olympic Movement not to forget its roots.This ceremony which is enacted each year in identical fashion, at this very site opposite the sacred hill of the Parthenon, here in Athens where every stone, every place, every name evokes our common history, the history of humanity, this ceremony as I was saying, appears to embody exactly this loyalty, this continuity through time, across the centuries.

Juan Antonio SAMARANCH
IOC Honorary President for Life