The top basketball players of our teams that will participate in the Opap Basket League will be doing two separate things! The Opap All Star game to be played again on Saturday, December 15, at the Tassos Papadopoulos-Eleftheria stadium, for the eighth successive year will also be doing two things. They will be offering a spectacle, the joy of the festive and, at the same time sending messages on road safety.
The ‘I play with rules, I drive with rules’ campaign, which, since 2011, the event directs particularly to our young, has been boosted this year, as the Opap All Star game supports the state’s campaign ‘Think!’ road safety campaign. ‘Think,’ organised by the justice ministry and the Press and Information Office was launched on Monday with the support of Opap Cyprus.
“When, for five decades, you undertake responsibility to the local society and the obligation to contribute towards helping solve its problems, then you cannot but respond positively to this invitation by the state,” said Opap Cyprus managing director Dimitris Aletraris. He stressed that “this initiative covers the parameters of the required effective response to the problem of road accidents and we support it by consistently expanding the actions that we have demonstrated as Opap Cyprus over time on road safety issues.” Aletaris referred in particular to the top Opap All Star game, ‘I play with rules, I drive with rules,’ campaign which, as he said, “with the universal acceptance of the public of Cyprus, effectively contributes to sending road safety messages.”
The Minister of Justice and Public Order, Ionas Nicolaou, analysed the objectives of the new communication strategy, which he said “was prepared on the basis of the findings of a relevant study so that it meets the requirements of the modern society” and thanked Opap Cyprus for the continuous support it provides. The Director of the Press and Information Office, Sophie Michaelides, stressed that the ‘Think’ campaign is the umbrella under which parallel actions and events can be included, such as the Eighth Opap All Star game ‘I play with rules, I drive with rules’.
The second Vice President of the Cyprus Basketball federation Marcos Clerides said that the eighth Opap All Star game will surpass all previous one both in terms of spectacle and entertainment that it will provide old and young. Apart from the match of top Cypriot and foreign basketball players, the dancing and music, this year, popular actor and singer Giorgos Lianos will also be present. Spectators will also enjoy the impressive stunts by the world-renowned Slovenian acrobats of Dunkin D.
Last but not least, the human-centred character of the All Star game, as Christmas approaches, will be demonstrated this year with the fulfilment by Opap Cyprus of the wish of one of the children supported by the ‘A dream, a wish’ charity. In addition, there will be the awarding of the Opap prize in memory of basketball player Neophytos Chandriotis, the young sportsman who became a symbol of ethics, strength and dignity.
