Kostas Kotzias studied at university in both Athina and Roma. He competed at two Olympics, in 1912 and 1924. Kotzias fought in the Balkan Wars and from 1918-19 was in exile in Crete. Kotzias later entered Greek Politics. A member of the Freethinkers’ Party, he was elected mayor of Athina in April 1934, staying in office until September 1936, when he was appointed a Minister in the federal government where he developed programs for youth and sports. After the death of Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas in 1941, Greece’s King Giorgios II sought out Kotzias to head a new cabinet, but he refused. During World War II he again lived in exile, at first in Egypt and then the United States. After the War he resumed his post as a Cabinet Minister. Kotzias was also a member of the Hellenic Olympic Committee in 1935-38.
Greece