<P> Greece has risen to prominence in a number of sporting areas in recent decades . Football in particular has seen a rapid transformation, with the Greek national football team winning the 2004 UEFA European Football Championship . Many Greek athletes have also achieved significant success and have won world and olympic titles in numerous sports during the years, such as basketball, wrestling, water polo, athletics, weightlifting, with many of them becoming international stars inside their sports . The successful organisation of the Athens 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games led also to the further development of many sports and has led to the creation of many World class sport venues all over Greece and especially in Athens . Greek athletes have won a total 146 medals for Greece in 15 different Olympic sports at the Summer Olympic Games, including the Intercalated Games, an achievement which makes Greece one of the top nations globally, in the world's rankings of medals per capita . </P> <P> The national colours of Greece are blue and white . The coat of arms of Greece consists of a white cross on a blue escutcheon which is surrounded by two laurel branches . The Flag of Greece is also blue and white, as defined by Law 851 / 1978 Regarding the National Flag . It specifies the colour of "cyan" (Greek: κυανό, kyano), meaning "blue", so the shade of blue is ambiguous . </P> <P> The Order of the Redeemer and military decoration Cross of Valour both have ribbons in the national colours . </P> <P> Since it was first established, the national emblem has undergone many changes in shape and in design . The original Greek national emblem depicted the goddess Athena and an owl . At the time of Ioannis Kapodistrias, the phoenix, the symbol of rebirth, was added . </P>

Examples of ancient greek influence in modern culture