The Balkan Athletics Championships or Balkan Games ( Greek : Βαλκανικοί Αγώνες ) is a regional athletics competition held between nations from the Balkans and organized by Balkan Athletics . The first games were held in Athens in 1929, and the most recent were being held in İzmir in 2024 .
4-634: The Games of 1929 were unofficial, and organized by the Hellenic Amateur Athletic Association (SEGAS). They became formalized after 1930 and have been held regularly since, with the exception of the 1940–1953 period due to the Second World War and post-war turmoil. In 1946 and 1947, unofficial Games were organized, under the name Balkan and Central European Games , which Czechoslovakia , Poland and Hungary (1947) also participated. SEGAS were also central to
8-475: Is Greece's governing body for amateur sport . SEGAS was created in 1897 and has been the principal organiser of many international sporting competitions held in Greece. The association was behind the 1969 and 1982 European Championships , the 1995 European Indoor Championships, the 1986 World Junior Championships , the 1990 IAAF Grand Prix Final, the 1991 Mediterranean Games , the 1994 World Relay Championships,
12-515: The creation of the Balkan Athletics Indoor Championships in 1994 – a sister indoor event to the main outdoor competition. Source: Full Results: Source: Balkan Athletics Indoor Championships Balkan Cross Country Championships Balkan Race Walking Championships Balkan Masters Athletics Championships The 1940 shot put champion was listed as Arat Ararat from Turkey. The birth name of this athlete
16-552: Was Sokratis Ioannidis, a Greek Orthodox born in Istanbul. Due to political friction between Turkey and Greece at that time, the Turks decided it would be more politically correct to change his name to Arat Ararat. This was the name he was known by in the athletic circles. Hellenic Amateur Athletic Association The Hellenic Athletics Federation (Greek: Σύνδεσμος Ελληνικών Γυμναστικών Αθλητικών Σωματείων ; abbreviated SEGAS )
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