At Lithos Digital, we grow through our values. We believe in persistence, consistency, personal effort, and the importance of supporting people who embody these principles.
This is why we chose to stand as sponsors beside accomplished shotokan karate athlete Giannis Kafouros, a figure with a long, successful career who continues to demonstrate, despite challenges and obstacles, what it truly means to keep fighting. This initiative reflects our commitment to supporting actions and individuals who represent qualities such as patience, discipline, resilience, and endurance, values that are also the foundation of our own corporate culture.
Sport has always been a powerful example of discipline, endurance, and mental strength, values rooted in society from ancient times to today. At Lithos Digital, we see in athletes the same qualities we admire within our own team: people who work with passion, consistency, and a commitment to continuous growth. We choose to invest in partnerships grounded in human values and real potential, as we strongly believe in supporting those who strive forward, especially when they do so without the support they deserve. Our sponsorship given to Giannis Kafouros is part of a broader initiative to back efforts that reflect our vision and our belief that businesses have a responsibility to stand behind individuals who pursue progress and personal evolution.
The Gap in State Support and the Reality for Greek Athletes
Despite their talent and dedication, many Greek athletes are forced to advance in their professional careers without meaningful state support. In Greece, funding is typically reserved for those who have already achieved major distinctions in Europe or globally. Yet an athlete cannot reach that level without first securing the financial, practical, and emotional support required to train, prepare, and simply sustain themselves. Proper preparation demands resources: time, equipment, travel to competitions, and the ability to manage unforeseen circumstances, most notably injuries and the cost of recovery.
This paradox highlights the state’s inability to offer effective support to athletes. High-level sport requires full-time commitment, but the athlete who trains full-time has no financial backing. As a result, they must work outside of sport, losing valuable time and energy needed to train at the level their discipline demands. Inevitably, many talented athletes abandon their dreams of a professional career because they cannot cope financially, and often emotionally. For us, this represents a real social gap and yet another reason to offer support where the system falls short.
The Athletic Journey of Giannis Kafouros: A Path of Persistence and Endurance
Giannis Kafouros began training in karate in 1998, during his childhood. Growing up within the Piraeus Traditional Karate Athletic Association (Hellenic Karate Federation Ν. 352), he achieved significant success from a very young age, earning multiple titles as Greek Cup Winner and Greek Champion under the recognized Hellenic Karate Federation.
In 2011, he stepped away from professional competition but never from the sport itself. He continued training, staying active and committed, and in 2023 he made a decision that only few athletes dare to take: he returned to competitive tatami at 36 years old, an age considered advanced for the sport.
Despite the obvious challenges and the reality of competing against younger athletes, his return led to remarkable achievements in the Men’s Kata category. From 2023 until today, he has earned 3rd place at the Greek Cup 2024, 3rd place at the Southern Greece Cup 2025, 4th place at the Greek Cup 2025, and 3rd place at the Western Greece Cup 2025, all following a serious ACL rupture he suffered during the 2024 Greek Cup.
The Athlete Behind the Achievements
Giannis Kafouros’ relentless passion and perseverance, despite obstacles and the passing of time, are deeply connected to the person and professional behind the athlete. Today, Giannis works as a firefighter–rescuer at a major natural gas facility in Greece. His professional background is even more remarkable. Ηe previously served as a private military contractor in the Middle East and as a member of the Hellenic Armed Forces (Special Forces).
He has lived and worked in 27 countries, engaging with diverse cultures and carrying experiences that go far beyond the boundaries of sport.
Giannis’ virtues, his discipline, dedication, resilience, and unwavering commitment, are exactly what inspire us to stand by him. These traits align closely with the philosophy of Lithos Digital: steady growth driven by purpose, consistency, and genuine values.
Lithos Digital will remain actively by Giannis Kafouros’ side throughout this new chapter. Our goal is to help him secure the conditions he needs to keep competing, improving, and pursuing the distinctions he deserves.
Our support for athletes who strive without state assistance is not just a corporate initiative; it is part of who we are. It reflects our belief in standing beside those who move forward with passion, strength, and dedication, even when the road to success is steep.