Greece departed for the Women's European Volleyball Championship with 13 players, after middle blocker Aristea Tondai dropped out of the squad at the last minute.
The 27-year-old volleyball player did not travel with the team on Wednesday (August 19) and it seems she will not be able to participate in EuroVolley 2026.
Tondai had been experiencing lower back pain recently. Despite her desire to help the national team and attempts to recover in time, the pain reappeared immediately before the trip. After an examination, the medical staff did not give permission for her to play in the championship.
The Greek national team departed by plane for Vienna, from where they continued by bus to Brno. Currently, coach Apostolos Ikonomou has only 13 volleyball players at his disposal.
The possibility still remains for Tondai to be replaced for the final squad of 14 players, which must be submitted at the technical meeting on Thursday (August 20). The other option is for Greece to start the tournament with 13 volleyball players.
This is another personnel blow for Ikonomou. Due to injuries, Kiki Terzoglou, Andromachi Tsioga, Stamatia Kyparisi, and Elena Karakasi dropped out earlier, while Elena Baka left the team for personal reasons.
Greece is in a group with Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Austria, and Serbia. The Greek women's first match is against host Czech Republic on August 21 at 21:00. On August 23 at 17:00, the direct clash Greece – Bulgaria is also scheduled.