Greece to Construct Football Fields at Greek Community in Argentina

The announcement was made by Greek FM Nikos Dendias on Wednesday during the first-ever visit of a Greek foreign affairs minister to the Latin American country.

Dendias spoke of Berisso “as a city which is characterized by multiculturalism and has the oldest Greek Community in South America.”

In collaboration with the Municipality of Berisso & Banco Nación, Dendias said that “this contribution will co-fund the construction of 2 football fields named Greece (Grecia), with the aim of supporting youth and sports.”

“The ceremony took place in a festive atmosphere, with the participation of the Minister of Public Works Gabriel Katopodis, the Bank’s President Silvina Batakis (both of Greek descent) and Mayor of Berisso, Fabián Gagliardi,” noted the Greek minister.

Speaking at Berisso, Dendias pointed out that it embodies the Olympic ideal of the coexistence of more than twenty different ethnic communities.

Εκ μέρους της 🇬🇷 Κυβέρνησης, ανακοίνωσα σήμερα, στο Μπουένος Άιρες, δωρεά, στον Δήμο Μπερίσσο, στην πόλη με την παλαιότερη ελληνική κοινότητα στη Νότια Αμερική & με ισχυρά στοιχεία πολυπολιτισμικότητας (1/3). pic.twitter.com/LPJEVL7tTi

— Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) February 8, 2023

Berisso, in Buenos Aires Province, was founded by Italian immigrants, and settled by Italians and other European immigrants.

Most immigrants are of Italian, Ukrainian, or Polish descent, but include those of Spanish, German, Portuguese, Albanian, Arab, Bulgarian, Croatian, Armenian, Slovak, Irish, Lithuanian, Jewish and Greek descent.

Because it is home to many ethnicities, Berisso is known as “The Provincial Capital of the Immigrant.” Berisso’s diversity is celebrated in September with its own “Immigrant’s Festival.”

During his visit to Argentina, Dendias met his counterpart Santiago Andrés Cafiero, where they discussed “enhancing bilateral political relations and cooperation in trade, investments and also within International Organisations, EU-Argentina relations, and the Our Ocean Conference 2024 that will be hosted in Greece.”

Few people know today that the first president of the unified Republic of Argentina was of Greek descent.

Bartolome Mitre Martinez was born on June 26, 1821 in Buenos Aires to a Greek family whose last name was originally Mitropoulos.

Vartholomeos Mitropoulos, or Mitre as he has been known ever since, served as the first president of the republic of Argentina from 1862 to 1868.

Previously, the country had consisted of smaller, semi-independent regions that had their own leaders. After periods of unrest, the country became a unified republic in 1861.