Greece Investment Immigration focus on Life in Greece: Panagiotis Giannakis's refusal to shake hands with Hu Jiashi has not only caused a stir in the Chinese basketball community but has also attracted significant attention from Greek media. Greek media outlets have published articles specifically addressing this "handshake gate" incident; the following is a full translation.
The performance of renowned Greek coach Panagiotis Giannakis while leading the Chinese men's national basketball team has been disappointing. Under his leadership, the defending champions, who aimed for the title, finished only fifth in the FIBA Asia Championship. This result fell far short of expectations, and the conflicts between him and the Vice President of the Chinese Basketball Association, Hu Jiashi, have gradually come to public attention. When Giannakis was preparing to return to Greece, Hu Jiashi went to see him off. However, when Hu reached out to shake his hand, Giannakis directly refused. This scene was witnessed by numerous media personnel.
China is a traditional global sports powerhouse, with the ability to win gold medals in multiple events at the Olympic Games. However, the Chinese men's basketball team is not considered a top-tier team on the world stage. To improve the competitiveness of the Chinese men's basketball team in international arenas, Giannakis was hired as the head coach, but his tenure has not been successful. The Chinese men's basketball team, which had previously won the FIBA Asia Championship 15 times, finished only fifth under Giannakis's leadership, which also meant they failed to qualify directly for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Hu Jiashi had previously criticized Giannakis. Although the Chinese men's basketball team had seen improvements and changes in the past, Giannakis still hoped that players would earn their starting positions through competition. Before returning to Greece, Giannakis stated, "I love Chinese basketball, and I hope to return here one day. Thank you all for everything you have done for Chinese basketball, and I hope we can meet again soon."