Evangelos Zappas

Even the pure white marble statues of Konstantinos and Evangelis Zappas on either side of the grand entrance were glowing in the afternoon June sun. Surprisingly, however, the temperature was pleasantly mild within the Zappeion colonnade, where the Bodossaki Excellence Award ceremony was again held this year, presided over by the president of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

For close to 130 years since its completion in 1888, the elegant Zappeion Hall has stood at the center of Athens's turbulent history, through peace and war, development and depression. It has been an integral link with the Olympic Movement, from the 1850s and the first efforts to revive the games up to 2004, when Athens last hosted the Summer Games.