With the participation of 430 samples of extra virgin olive oil from 17 countries, the evaluation procedures for the 5th Athena International Olive Oil Competition (ATHIOOC) were completed. This year’s (2020) competition took place in Spata, Greece, from June 11 to 13.

The panel awarded a total of 350 medals: 48 Bronze, 95 Silver, 159 Gold, and 48 Double Gold medals — the highest distinction, awarded to oils scoring 95/100 or higher. Best olive oil of the competition was the Chinese Xiangyu Coratina, produced by Longnan Xiangyu Olive Development in Longnan, Gansu, from the Coratina olive variety. Best Greek olive oil was awarded to Kyklopas Agoureleo, from Evros in Thrace, made from the Makri variety. This was the highest-scoring Greek olive oil among the 9 that earned a Double Gold medal this year — a record, as in 2018 and 2017 only one Greek olive oil had won a Double Gold, and none had won in the inaugural 2016 competition.

The 2019 harvest was exceptional for olive oil production in Greece and many other countries, which is reflected in the sharp rise in awards at ATHENA — from 55% last year (a particularly poor season) to 81% of oils entered this year receiving medals. This increase was especially evident for Greek olive oils, which earned 37 Bronze, 69 Silver, 72 Gold, and 9 Double Gold medals. In other words, the percentage of awarded Greek entries rose from 34.5% last year to 74.5% this year — more than doubling.

Participation in ATHENA also grew significantly this year — by more than 18% compared to last year. In fact, participation has increased every year since the competition’s inception. The number of Greek olive oil entries rose sharply by 35%, making up 59% of the total entries, demonstrating the growing trust of Greek producers in the competition.

The other countries that submitted olive oils this year were: Algeria, Australia, Brazil, France, Spain, Israel, Italy, China, Croatia, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Portugal, Slovenia, Turkey, and Tunisia. These countries collectively submitted 176 samples, about the same as last year. Thus, as every year, ATHENA maintained its strong international character — although the pandemic prevented the inclusion of foreign judges in the usual ratio of 1/3 Greek to 2/3 international. This year, the judging panel consisted exclusively of Greek experts, selected with the utmost care.

As in previous years, ATHENA did not use paper scoring forms. Instead, it employed handheld tablets and custom-designed software created specifically for the competition. This system enabled faster processing and a higher level of transparency and reliability in the scoring process.

Each year, ATHENA is hosted in a different olive oil-producing region of Greece to promote local production. After Athens, Pylos, Delphi, and Nafplio, this 5th edition was originally planned to take place on the island of Lesvos, now postponed to next year due to the pandemic. For 2020, ATHENA was held at the elegant and functional Ktima Petreza in Spata. Also due to the pandemic, no award ceremony was held this year.