Heron will stand beside Emmanouil Karalis, Rafaela Spanoudaki & Alexandra Stamatopoulou on their rising path “Out of darkness and into light”

HERON Group expands its framework of corporate social responsibility activities and chooses to enter the field of athletic sponsorships with the slogan “Out of darkness and into light”, in support of the new generation of promising athletes who not only have the tenacity and willpower to reach the top, they are also not afraid to face their deepest darkness and rise to the light as winners. The top energy provider will be the sponsor of Emmanouil Karalis, Rafaela Spanoudaki and Alexandra Stamatopoulou on their journey towards their next awards and distinctions. Through HERON’s sponsorship, the three young athletes, having managed to surpass the obstacles they discovered on their journey with great focus and responsibility, will represent Greece in the greatest international sports event, with the ambition to return with a medal.

Emmanouil Karalis, although he is now one of the greatest international talents in pole vaulting, experienced the darkness of racism and verbal abuse at the beginning of his career. However, he learned to jump far above the bar and break national and international records, in the hopes that this year he will “fly” towards global appreciation. Rafaela Spanoudaki, in her turn, having overcome severe injuries that almost cost her her sports career, has now conquered the title of the fastest woman in the country, having won Greek distinctions in 100 and 200-meter dash. Moving to the swimming track, Alexandra Stamatopoulou experienced the "darkness” of a rare illness in her adolescent years, which, although it restricted her mobility, directed her towards swimming, giving her the opportunity to win a rich collection of medals in European and international competitions.

Through the “Out of darkness and into light” activity, HERON expands its social footprint by making a strategic choice to go forward and highlight three young faces of Greek sports, who, through their efforts and persistence, are competing for the top. Emmanouil, Rafaela and Alexandra are all leading hopes in the effort to make Greek sports a fixture of the worldwide sports landscape. In HERON’s view, the conscious decision to support young athletes reflects the wider belief of the Group that vision, consistent work and focus on the goal must be both encouraged and rewarded.

On the occasion of these new athletic sponsorships, Mr. Giorgos Danolos, Chief Executive Officer of HERON Group, made the following remarks:

“HERON is at the side of the new and glorious generation of athletes from our country. We are very happy to be given the opportunity to support athletes such as Emmanouil Karalis, Rafaela Spanoudaki and Alexandra Stamatopoulou, who overcame their personal “darkness” and harnessed their talents and skills consistently, with the aspiration to lead Greece to the top of their respective sports. Each of them deserves the “light” of the brightest achievements, and we hope that their relationship with HERON will be a stepping stone for more and greater distinctions. We wholeheartedly wish them every success in their games”.