Team Greece welcomed by an... Athenian from Brno!
Feature
Following a very quiet journey with no further setbacks, the Greek women’s national team arrived in Brno, Czechia, where the matches for Pool B of the CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women will take place.
After the shock of the unexpected news regarding Aristea Tondai, who did not travel with the team due to a back injury, the first smiles appeared at the Vienna airport (from where the delegation travelled by road to Brno), where they were welcomed by Eva Silhanova. The Czech native was first introduced to the Greek Volleyball fans in the mid-90s and has been living permanently in Greece since 2003. Since 2013, she has been coaching youth development teams.
Silhanova, who speaks fluent Greek, was born and raised in Brno (having started playing Volleyball at local club KP in 1998) and making her the team liaison was a natural choice for the local organisers.
Eva Silhanova“They know that I live permanently in Greece and speak Greek, so sometime in the spring, the Organising Committee called me to ask if I would act as the team liaison for the Greek national team. It was very easy to say yes because I return every summer anyway, but I was truly happy that they asked me.”
In fact, at the Austrian capital’s airport, she had an emotional reunion with Apostolos Ikonomou, head coach of Greece, who was her mentor at EA Larissa back in 2009! “I had not seen him (Ikonomou) since then... That season had started well, but in January it ended prematurely for me because I suffered an injury during a match and did not play for the rest of the season. I was overjoyed to see him again after so many years, because beyond being a great coach, he is also a wonderful person,” Eva said.
Having been in the city since July, she has noticed that Brno is living and breathing for the EuroVolley matches. “They are looking forward to it, and I think the arena will be full. This year, the local team, Selmy Brno, won the women’s championship, and several players are from here, which also helps.”
For her, however, the opening match of Pool B, which pits Greece against Czechia, will be the most challenging of the entire tournament.
Eva Silhanova“On Friday we will have a derby, because apart from being two good teams, I think both will carry a lot of anxiety due to the premiere. I will be supporting both. I just want both teams to play good Volleyball. I am Czech, the matches are taking place in my hometown, which makes it very special, but I am also... Greek! I live in and love Greece, so I am truly stuck right in the middle.”