From Olympia to Athens: A Harvard Journey Through Sport and Education

July 16, 2026

Harvard student-athletes, Head Coach Ted Minnis, and CHS Greece representatives together at the International Olympic Academy in Ancient Olympia. — From left to right: Christos Giannopoulos (Executive Director, CHS Greece), Ioanna Mara (Summer Intern, CHS Greece), Harvard student-athletes Caitlyn Kukulowicz (women's lightweight rowing), Logan Brzozowski (wrestling), Carrie Truong (women's heavyweight rowing), Nathalie Gregg (men's lightweight rowing), and Ted Minnis (Friends of Harvard Water Polo Head Coach and The James Herscot '58 Coach of Excellence).

CHS Greece was pleased to welcome once again a Harvard Athletics contingent as part of the 2026 Sport and Education Program. This year's participants included student-athletes Logan Brzozowski (wrestling), Nathalie Gregg (men's lightweight rowing), Caitlyn Kukulowicz (women's lightweight rowing), and Carrie Truong (women's heavyweight rowing), along with Friends of Harvard Water Polo Head Coach and The James Herscot '58 Coach of Excellence, Ted Minnis. Bringing together students and scholars from Universities in Greece, the USA, and Canada, the program offered a unique opportunity to explore the enduring relationship between sport, education, and the Olympic ideals through academic discussions, site visits, and experiential learning.

Following the conclusion of the Sport and Education Program in Olympia, the Harvard student-athletes traveled to Athens, where they joined students in the Harvard Summer School in Greece from Harvard University, the University of Patras, and Fudan University, as well as participants in CHS Greece's Museum of Cycladic Art and Field Archaeology in Kythera Internship Programs, for a series of shared activities. Through visits to museums and archaeological sites, shared meals, and other group activities, students from diverse academic and athletic backgrounds had the opportunity to exchange perspectives, build new connections, and engage more deeply with Greece's cultural heritage.

Participants from CHS Greece programs gathered at the Acropolis Museum in Athens with the Acropolis visible in the background. — Harvard student-athletes participating in the Sport and Education Program, together with participants in the Harvard Summer School Program in Greece, the Museum of Cycladic Art Summer Internship Program, and the Field Archaeology in Kythera Internship Program, at the Acropolis Museum in Athens.

Our student-athletes' educational experience in Greece concluded with a visit to the Schinias Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Centre. We extend our sincere thanks to the Secretary General of Sports, Mr. George Mavrotas, and his Director of Office, Mr. Efstathios Koukeas, for coordinating this visit, as well as to the Hellenic Olympic Committee Deputy Secretary General and Professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Medicine, Mr. Konstantinos Ditsios, and the President of the Hellenic Rowing Federation and Olympic Silver and Bronze Medalist, Mr. Vasileios Polymeros, who, along with Mr. Koukeas, welcomed the group and engaged them in a meaningful discussion. During their visit, the students toured the Olympic facilities, learned about the training and competitive pathways of Greece's elite rowers, explored the connection between sport and education in Greece, and met distinguished athletes, including Apostolos Lykomitros, a recent graduate of Harvard University, as well as Stefanos Ntouskos, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Gold Medalist and 2025 World Champion, among many other distinctions. The visit provided an inspiring conclusion to their time in Greece, highlighting the values and importance of international collaboration and the connection between sport and education.

Harvard student-athletes along Stefanos Ntouskos stand inside the Schinias Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Centre boathouse, surrounded by rowing shells. — The four Harvard student-athletes with Stefanos Ntouskos, Tokyo 2020 Olympic Gold Medalist and 2025 World Champion.