Mygdonia A.C.

Foundation

Drymos and the whole region hadn’t had any badminton sport club till February 2000. Then, the first coach of the team Evangelia Tetradi, managed to staff the first sections of the academy with children especially from Primary and High School after several displays of the sport at the schools in the Mygdonia region. Characteristically, one hundred kids had been gathered during the debut training of the team. From the beginning, the region accepted enthusiastically this new kind of sport and the interest proved intense. The proceedings for a charter’s creation and the establishment of the Club have been run instantaneously. Its unique sport field would be Badminton. In 2002 Mygdonia Badminton Athletic Club obtained an official form.

First participations at contests

Over the following years, the athletes of the Club carried on taking part in official contests or friendly tournaments and the first accomplishments and medals on local layer (peripheral, school games) brought about rejoice inside the Club and optimism for establishment among the leaders of Greece. In parallel, many new athletes continued joining the Club. The first participations were on 31/3-01/04 2001 during the National Greek Championship U-15 at the E.A.K. of Sidirokastro.

First commendations and medals

The 2000 decade has already crossed its own second half and a batch of players, who have been training at academy sections, would start winning medals at both national and international contests. The work inside the academy during the previous years proved highly successful and the first commendations would make their appearance little by little. The first national champion commendation was achieved by Sotiria Rofalikou in 2005. The next year, it is the turn of two other players of the club, Marina Karypidou and Magdalini Tsioumleki to succeed a national commendation. The Club has already reached an advanced level. Similar awards were achieved by Maria Marou, Fotini Stavrousi, Eleutheria Giannopoulou and Nikoleta Diamela in the following years, while the male players Christos Polyzos, Stefanos Galanis, Ioannis Galanis and Alexandros Varelas succeeded to enter the quarter-finals of Greek Atomic Championship. In total, from 2005 till today, the previous athletes will carry along at Drymos over thirty five national championship medals, some of them golden. Many of them had been requested by the national badminton team of Greece and also they’d participated in international contests such as Marina Karypidou and Magdalini Tsioumleki who won the bronze medal at the Balkan Championship, and also, the participation of Marina Karypidou in the European U17 Team Championships 2011 in Portugal.

Extra grading for Entrance Examinations

The awards in national contests gave the above athletes extra grading in examinations for entrance at high education (+10%). This grading is provided by the state.

Current status

Mygdonia’s badminton team continues admitting kids from every age category- Primary & Secondary School. Furthermore, it holds a special adult section, which can be joined by everyone, who desires to be acquainted with Badminton, exercise physically or entertain himself. The weekly trainings take place at the Municipal Sports Hall “Asterios P. Netsikas” (DAK Drymos, Drymos Thessaloniki) Its athletes take part every year at the Elementary school- High school- National Senior High school Championship, the Peripheral- Championship Qualified Contests, the Greek Atomic Championship, the Greek Association Championship, in every age category: U11, U13, U15, U19 and Men-Woman category, and finally at the local Badminton Tournament of Mygdonia. The athletes of the team travel annually in several towns of the country, with the aim of participating in the official contest of the Greek Badminton Federation (E.O.F.S.A). The National Senior High school Championship was first organized in 2014 and Marina Karypidou from Drymos Thessaloniki won the gold medal.