The ceremony took place in the presence of the Greek Deputy Prime Minister Panagiotis Pikrammenos.

He was joined by Lefteris Avgenakis, the Deputy Minister of Sport, and Marianna Vardinogiannis, a goodwill ambassador of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and President of the Association of Friends of Children with Cancer (ELPIDA), as well as several other prominent figures in sport, politics and the arts.

In his speech, HOC President Spyros Capralos said: "The new year which has just begun is very important. 

"This is a 'double' Olympic year.

"Greece participated with 12 athletes in the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne which have just ended. 

"The biggest sporting event in the world, the Tokyo Olympic Games will start [in July].

"Greek athletes, as has been the case since 1896, will travel to Tokyo with the aim of making all Greeks proud once again, with their overall presence and - we hope - with their successful performance. 

"Twenty-three athletes have already secured their participation in the Olympics and I hope that this number will grow significantly this year."

During the ceremony, the HOC honoured the athletes who qualified for Tokyo 2020 within 2019.

The athletes who won medals at last year's edition of the European Games in Belarus' capital Minsk also received awards, including shooter Anna Korakaki, karateka Eleni Chatziliadou, cyclist Christos Volikakis, sprinter Rafaéla Spanoudaki, sambist Savvas Karakizidis, judoka Georgios Azoidis and hurdler Konstantinos Douvalidis.

Artemis Ignatiou, the choreographer of the flame-lighting ceremony in Ancient Olympia, and Georgios Andreadis, a prominent figure in the world of sailing, were honored with the HOC’s highest award - named after Dimitrios Vikélas, first President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) - in recognition of their invaluable contribution to the Olympic Movement.

The 2019 IOC Sport and Sustainable Architecture Trophy was awarded to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation for the construction of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, which was designed to sustainable standards and then donated to the people of Greece.

"The Hellenic Olympic Committee will move towards the new decade that has just begun," Capralos added.

"With the new statutes and by a new law which came into effect, the HOC has changed its status from public to private entity.

"Therefore, I would like to thank the Deputy Minister of Sport, Lefteris Avgenakis, for satisfying this specific request, which was not only ours but also the IOC's.

"Now the HOC will be faster, more flexible and more effective in decision-making and implementation, with absolute transparency. 

"It will be controlled by one of the four major international audit firms. 

"At the same time, implementation of innovations that reflect the modern trends of sport will be facilitated.

"We are also pleased, as with the changes in the statutes, the growing trend for the active participation of athletes within the HOC will be also satisfied. 

"In the future, within the Executive Committee, there will be three athletes, two of whom will be voted by the athletes participating in the Olympic Games and one will be voted by the Greek Olympians.

"All three will have the right to vote and be elected to all the HOC Commissions, whereas the chairperson of the Athletes’ Commission will participate in the HOC Executive Committee.

"We would like to thank you, Mr. Avgenakis, for changing the statutes.

"We are, of course, in favour of the need for renewal and active participation of young people with fresh ideas and scientific excellence; nevertheless, we do not support the retroactive effect of the limitations of term limits."