Is Horse Racing Popular In Greece?

Horse racing is one of the oldest sports in the world, but did you know some of the first evidence of horse racing can be traced back to Ancient Greece and the Olympic Games?

Yes, the country that created the ultimate sports also featured horse racing as a category called chariot races.

From there horse racing spread across the world very quickly, and different cultures have added their own twist to the sport leading to modern horse racing, the sport that we all know and love today.

Considering that horse racing traces its roots to Ancient Greece, we can expect that Greece has a rich horse racing scene, right?

Well, in this article we will go through the history of horse racing in Greece and find out the current state of the sport as well as some of the best horse racing tracks.

If you want to check out more major horse racing tracks, visit the link below: edge.twinspires.com/racing/major-horse-races/

History of Horse Racing in Greece

When we talk about Ancient Greece, there is one thing you need to understand. The state of horse racing in the country was at the highest level, meaning that chariot races and other equestrian events were some of the most popular sports at that time.

In the beginning, most equestrian events were part of the Olympic Games, but as the sport grew popular, people started organizing local games such as the Nemea.

Horse racing in Greece also has some mythical origins.

According to Ancient Greek Myths, the first chariot race was between ancient kings Pelops and Oenomaus. Another myth suggests that chariot races were very popular even the legendary hero Hercules participated in one.

In the Olympic Equestrian competitions, there were multiple categories, such as:

• Kelis – A rider performed 6 laps of the racecourse held first in 648 BC

• Apene – Mules dragged 1 chariot around the racecourse held in 500 BC

• Synoris – A chariot drawn by two horses

• Tethrippo – A wooden chariot with 2 wheels drawn by 4 horses for about 12 laps of the racecourse

Modern-Day Horse Racing in Greece

Even though horse racing has well-embedded its roots into Greek history, the sport isn’t quite as popular as most people think nowadays.

In fact, the sport completely disappeared from Greek tradition for thousands of years, until it was brought back in 1925.

Modern Horse races in Greece started to appear again in 1925 when the first modern racecourse was established. Delta of Faliro is the first modern-day racecourse that is crucial for bringing back the passion for horse racing in Greece.

Since then, the sport grew significantly and after a couple of decades, it was one of the most important, and popular social events in the country. The golden era of modern-day horse racing in Greece was during the 50s and was the ultimate hub for the high society of Athens.

But despite the huge growth in popularity, horse racing never caught on with the public.

Years after, the first modern racecourse was built in Markopoulo Attica, which had the highest international standards for horse racing. Building new facilities was the start of bringing back the popularity of horse racing. 

Since then, Greece has few racecourses such as the Hippodrome of Athens (Markopoulo Park) and Hellas Horse Races S.A.

Final Words

For a country with such rich history in horse racing, most people expect that horse racing should be one of the most popular sports with the locals.

Unfortunately, the state of horse racing nowadays isn’t on the same level as way back in history. With that said, the locals are trying to ignite the passion of the sport yet again, by building state-of-the-art facilities that will be the hub for modern-day horse racing.

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