From excellence to impact

How do the values that drive athletes to overcome obstacles in pursuit of excellence also encourage them to give back to their communities? Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Co-President Andreas Dracopoulos sits down with two top athletes in different sports, NBA champion and philanthropist Giannis Antetokounmpo and Olympic medalist Emmanouil “Manolo” Karalis, who ranks an all-time 4th and 2nd in the world for 2025 in pole vaulting, for a free-form and free-flowing conversation about how an athlete’s life off the playing field affects what happens on it—and vice versa. They’ll discuss how our support systems—especially family—motivate and sustain all of us, the discipline and perseverance sport can inspire, and more in a deeply personal chat. The conversation will also look ahead at how these same systems and values can help shape the next generation, and what that might mean for envisioning greater opportunity for young people.