Olympiacos in the Final Four: The... first in Greece and the return of the "red and whites" fans to OAKA after 19 years

Olympiacos' qualification for the Final Four in Athens doesn't just mark their fifth consecutive appearance in the final phase of the EuroLeague and their 15th overall in their history.

It also carries a special symbolism, as for the first time, the "red-and-whites" will contend for the top spot in Europe on Greek soil.

While Olympiacos has been one of the most consistent forces in European basketball for decades, with back-to-back titles and numerous Final Four appearances, they had never before participated in a Final Four held in Greece. This alone makes this year's event at the Telekom Center Athens special.

Athens is preparing to host Europe's biggest basketball event again, 19 years after the last Final Four in the country, and Olympiacos will be there, this time as one of the main contenders for the trophy.

The 3 Greek tournaments without Olympiacos

History, until now, has played strange tricks on the team from Piraeus. Every time Greece hosted the EuroLeague Final Four, Olympiacos was missing from the picture.

It all started in 1993 at the Peace and Friendship Stadium. The first Final Four ever hosted in our country took place, in fact, at Olympiacos' "home," but the "red-and-whites" did not participate.

PAOK was there, dramatically eliminated by Treviso, while the trophy went to Limoges.

Seven years later, in 2000, Thessaloniki and the "Palataki" hosted the second Greek Final Four.

There, Željko Obradović's Panathinaikos defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv in the final and won its second European title, with Olympiacos again absent.

Then came 2007 at OAKA (T-Center). Panathinaikos played in front of its home crowd, defeated CSKA Moscow in the final, and lifted its fourth star in one of the most... heated atmospheres the competition has ever seen, with Olympiacos still not there.

That is why this year's presence takes on a different significance. For the first time, the "red-and-whites" will play in a Final Four in Greece, and specifically in the arena of their "eternal" rival.

In a Telekom Center that has been historically linked with Panathinaikos' greatest European moments, Olympiacos will now attempt to write its own history.

The return of Olympiacos fans to OAKA

What makes this year's Final Four even more special is the presence of Olympiacos fans in the stands of the Olympic Indoor Hall. A sight that is completely unusual by Greek standards.

The fans from Piraeus are expected to show up in force at the "T-Center," having already secured thousands of tickets, while Panathinaikos' elimination by Valencia is expected to further increase the red-and-white presence in the stands.

However, the last time an organized presence of Olympiacos fans was recorded at OAKA was almost two decades ago.

Specifically, one has to go back to 2007 and the fifth championship final between Panathinaikos and Olympiacos.

At that time, fan movement was allowed only for that game, with supporters of both teams coexisting in the stands.