We have yet another Greek Australian representing Australia at the Olympics, with Mark Nicolaidis set to make his Olympic debut in Paris.
His selection, alongside Izac Carracher, marks the first time Australia will have two men’s beach volleyball teams at an Olympics since Athens 2004.
The two are also Australia’s second youngest male beach volleyball team to ever contest an Olympics, behind only the duo of Julien Prosser and Leo Zahner at Atlanta 1996.
For the Brisbane boy, it’s a dream come true.
“Playing in the Olympic Games is the absolute pinnacle for most sports,” he told Neos Kosmos.
“It’s been a dream of mine for a long time now and to represent Australia at the highest level means the world to me.”
Nicolaidis started played indoor volleyball at school as a 14-year-old and within two years he was a Pirate.
Mark was a member of the dominant Queensland Pirates squad, which won four Australian Volleyball League titles between 2016 and 2019.
But his career really too off in 2022, when he teamed with Carracher. The two won gold in their first international tournament as a pair.
“If you ask anyone they would say volleyball has become part of my personality and it really has taken up a big part of my life,” the 23-year-old said.
“I, my partner and my family have had to make a lot of sacrifices in the last few years. I’m so glad that I’ve been able to reach this level to share with everyone that has supported me along the way.”
Nicolaidis got into the sport because both his brothers and father Kon, who passed away in 2004, played volleyball in high school. So naturally he followed in their footsteps.
A third generation Greek Aussie, his grandparents came from Kastoria. Like most immigrants, his grandfather came for work and would send money back to Greece for the family.
Nicolaidis took every opportunity he could to play indoor volleyball and spent the summer time playing beach volleyball.
Outside the sport, he graduated in 2021 with a bachelor of property economics from Queensland University of Technology and hopes to build a career in the real estate industry.
