CYPRUS: A Small Island Country, Full of History and Passion for Sport

Cyprus is a small, but a rather unique island country. Due to its location at the crossroads of the cultures and civilizations since antiquity, the island of Cyprus carries a significant history of greatness but also tragedy. In respect to the latter, undoubtedly the most recent is the division of the island that took place in 1974 with all the related consequences. Despite this troublesome situation, the Republic of Cyprus is a modern, developed country in which sport is considered a basic part of the culture, economy and society. It is worth noting that the sport tradition in Cyprus traces back to the years of the ancient Greek civilization and nowadays, Cyprus is a small, but a rather active part of the international sport community. On the same note, the recent international successes in football, sailing and other sports show that Cyprus is improving in sporting terms. The main characteristics of sport in Cyprus are the central administration from the Cyprus Sport Organisation on the one hand and the state funding on the other. Additionally, the voluntary sector is the backbone of the national sport structure, as 80% of the members and personnel that belong to clubs and federations are volunteers. Eventually, the private sport sector is not that significant with regard to other European countries. Nevertheless, there is a recent growth in the sporting goods industry, in fitness and recreational services and in sport tourism. On the whole, Cypriots are good consumers of sport services and products while there is also a growing number of foreign tourists who visit Cyprus for the sake of sport every year. All things considered, the challenge for the future of sport in Cyprus is to become more financially independent and to strengthen the mainly voluntary nature of sport with professionals and also enhance the role of the private sport sector.