2018

Events

January

• January 17: Notorious crime boss, Vasilis Stefanakos, is gunned down, in front of his house, in Haidari.
• January 28: The first round of the Cypriot presidential elections is held. Incumbent Nikos Anastasiades takes first place with 35.5% of the vote while Stavros Malas finishes second with 30.24%.

February

• February 4: A huge demonstration takes place in Athens as tens of thousands protest against the Tsipras government compromise deal with FYROM over the use of "Macedonia".
• February 4: Nikos Anastasiades wins re-election as Cyprus president after defeating Stavros Malas (56% - 44%) in a runoff.
• February 17: AEK defeat Olympiakos 88-83 to lift the Greek Basketball Cup.
• February 21: Moody’s ratings agency upgrades Greece’s credit rating by two notches to B3.

March

• March 1: Two Greek soldiers, who had strayed across the Greco-Turkish border near Kastanies, are held by Turkish authorities for trial.
• March 11: The Greek football league match between PAOK and AEK is abandoned in the 89th minute of play after PAOK owner, Ivan Savvidis, invades the pitch, wearing a holstered gun, and is said to have threatend referee Giorgos Kominis.
• March 28: Georgios Koumas elected as the new president of the Cyprus Football Association.

April

• April 9: Greek forces fire at a Turkish helicopter that was hovering low over the Greek island of Rho.
• April 12: A Greek Mirage 2000-5 fighter jet goes down, off the coast of Skyros, killing its pilot. The jet had been on a mission to intercept Turkish jets.

May

• May 6: AEK BC win the European Basketball Champions League by defeating Monaco 100-94.
• May 9: Prince Charles visits Greece.
• May 12: PAOK defeat AEK 2-0 to win the Greek Football Cup back to back.
• May 16: AEK Larnaca defeat Apollon Limassol 2-1 to lift the Cyprus Football Cup.
• May 20: Thessaloniki mayor, Yiannis Boutaris, is attacked and beaten up at a Pontian remembrance service.

June

• June 9: Olympiakos defeat Pro Recco 9-7 to win the water polo Champions' League.
• June 16: PM Alexis Tsipras survives a no-confidence motion by a 153-127 vote.

July

• July 23: Wildfires in Mati and Rafina (eastern Attica) claim the lives of 95 people.

August

• August 8: Miltiadis Tentoglou wins gold in the long jump at the European Athletics Championships in Berlin with 8.25m.
• August 9: Katerina Stefanidi and Nicole Kyriakopoulou finish 1-2 in the women's pole vault at the European Athletics Championships in Berlin.
• August 14: After 167 days in captivity, soldiers Angelos Mitretodis and Dimitris Kouklatzis are released by Turkish authorities.
• August 20: Greece successfully completes the bailout program imposed by its lenders. For the first time in eight years, Greece can now borrow at market rates.
• August 22: AEK defeat MOL Vidi 2-1 in Budapest marking a new record for Greek clubs in Europe: 13 straight games without a loss!
• August 28: PM Alexis Tsipras reshuffles his cabinet.

Deaths

January

• January 2: Eugene Gerards, coach of OFI FC for 15 years.
• January 11: Takis Loukanidis, footballer.
• January 13: Aristides Roubanis, basketball player

March

• March 5: Kostakis Koutsokoumnis, president of the Cyprus Football Association.

April

• April 22: Fanis Tasinos, footballer

May

• May 1: Zoe Kouroukli, singer
• May 21: Harry Klynn, comedian
• May 26: Antonis Dermatis, footballer

June

• June 1: Kostas Polychroniou, footballer
• June 10: Pavlos Giannakopoulos, president Panathinaikos BC
• June 11: Virginia Tsouderou, politician
• June 18: Kostas Politis, basketball player and coach

August

• August 27: Odysseus Eskitzoglou, olympic sailor, gold medalist