An evening dedicated to Bank of Cyprus Nicosia Marathon contributors

Bank of Cyprus (BoC) Nicosia Marathon contributors, the event’s volunteers and the groups behind the event’s success were at the heart of a thanksgiving event held on the evening of February 10, 2026, during which organisers expressed heartfelt gratitude to all who supported the grand sporting gathering.

This year’s marathon returned on January 18, attracting over 8,000 runners from all over the world.

In his address, Mayor of Nicosia Charalambos Proutzos, thanked all volunteers. “As the Municipality of Nicosia, we have set as our goal the substantial upgrade of the marathon and the creation of an institution that will serve as an annual reference point for our city,” he noted.

On behalf of Bank of Cyprus, the Director of Corporate Responsibility, Elli Ioannidou, stressed the fact that nothing would have been possible without the volunteers, while also noting that BoC will continue to support the event as a named sponsor.

From Eleven Blue Events, Chairman of the Board Spyros Spyrou provided a brief review of this year’s event, pointing out that “the common belief is that we can build something greater”. He added: “Something that will remain. Something that will belong to Nicosia.”

The official charitable organisation of the event was the Cyprus Anti-Cancer Society. On behalf of the Association, its information officer and member of the runners’ team, Fotini Pallikaridou, touched on the Association’s mission. “Our goal at the Cyprus Anti-Cancer Society is that no one is left alone,” she said. “Thanks to the collective effort of all Cypriot society, this aim is realised.”

A special moment of the event was the special award to Omiros Christodoulou, who lost both of his parents in the Helios air disaster in 2005. Since then, he has set a lifelong goal: to honour the victims’ memory by running 121 marathons, one for each person who lost their life in that tragedy. To date, he has completed 51 marathons.

During the evening, a video of athlete Socrates Psycharakis, winner of this year’s marathon, was also shown, which was addressed to young people in particular. The marathon runner from Rethymno ran the last marathon of his career in Nicosia and concluded a remarkable journey in the most symbolic way, by stepping onto the highest podium for the first time in a marathon.

Meanwhile, the awarding of the Omonia 29th May team, which also participated in the race, sending strong messages of inclusion and equal participation in sports for individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities, was particularly moving.

The event saw the following groups honoured:

• Team leaders and individual volunteers
• Cyprus Police
• Municipal Traffic Wardens of the Municipality of Nicosia
• Civil Defence
• Red Cross
• Team of Kyriakos Fotios
• Bank of Cyprus volunteer groups
• The SupportCY Network of Bank of Cyprus
• Cyprus Radio Amateurs Association
• Cyclists of Nicosia
• Ledra Bikers
• Cypriot Riders Association of Nicosia
• Running Fluent Initiative
• Scouts of Cyprus
• Beat&Run

Organisers also extended warm thanks to the Baggage Storage Team under Faee for safeguarding the personal belongings of participants.

The Bank of Cyprus Nicosia Marathon returns on January 24, 2027.