IOA President

Mr. Isidoros Kouvelos was born in Athens in 1953. During his youth Mr. Kouvelos was involved in sports as a basketball and volleyball athlete for the "Ethnikos" Sports Club of Athens.

He completed his academic studies in England and graduated from the City of London Polytechnic in Shipping and Ship Broking.

In 1976, he joined as a partner in the shipping company  "Sougerka Maritime Co. LTD".

In 1980 Mr. Kouvelos founded his shipping companies, the "ISK Shipping LTD" and "ISK Shipping Agencies SA" which he manages up till today.

In 1981, he founded "Thiseas S.C." basketball club and in five years we was able to lead the club to the top of the Hellenic Championship.

From 1989 to 1995, he is involved in the basketball team of Athens, "Panionios S.C." as leader and Vice-Chairman of the professional team, having the pleasure of leading it to the winning of the National Cup in 1991 to the qualification for Korac Cup Final Four in 1994 and to the participation in SuproLeague.

The involvement of his son Spyridon (aged 21 years today) in equestrians drove him to become involved in the activities of the Hellenic Equestrian Federation, which he has elected President in 2001.

In 2005, Isidoros Kouvelos was elected 1st Vice-President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee and Vice-President of the International Olympic Academy.

As the IOA Vice-President, he initiated, in collaboration with the University of Peloponnese and with the support of the J. Latsis Foundation, the Postgraduate Programme on Olympic Studies (Master's Degree) entitled "Olympic Studies, Olympic Education, Organization and Management of Olympic Events" that commenced in October 2009.

In 2006, he was appointed by the Greek Government President of the Bid Committee for the Mediterranean Games "Volos 2013". The following year in Pescara, Italy, he succeeded in gaining the trust of the ICMG General Assembly winning the equivalent and strong candidacies of Rijeka, Croatia, and Mersin, Turkey.

In 2008, he was Chef de Mission of the Hellenic Olympic Committee's Delegation for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, and the same happened four years later at the Olympic Games "In London 2012". During the same year, he was re-elected President of the Hellenic Equestrian Federation.

In 2009, Isidoros Kouvelos was elected President of the International Olympic Academy by the HOC. In July of the same year, he was elected President of the National Olympic Academy of Greece unanimously for 2009-12. He was re-elected President of the International Olympic Academy from 2013-2016.

During the ICMG General Assembly, Pescara, on the 24th of June 2009, was elected Secretary General of the ICMG Executive Committee unanimously.

In 2009, he was appointed by the IOC President, Dr. Jacques Rogge member of the IOC Commission for Culture and Education.

In  2010, he was awarded the honorary title "Doctor Honoris Causa" by the National University of Physical Education and Sports of Ukraine and in 2011 by the State University of Physical Education and Sports of the Republic of Moldova.

In 2011, the IOC appointed him as a member of the Administration Board of the International Olympic Truce Foundation.

In 2018, he helped IOA secure a $12M grant from the IOC to update all the facilities of the IOA. In 2021 he was re-elected president of the IOA for the 2021-2024 term.

He has been married since 1998 to Mrs. Dora Bakoyanni, ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs, and he has three children, two boys, and a girl, from his first marriage.