Interview with Spyros Dovas on WDC 2026 in Athens

After five months (maybe more?) between episodes, Gavin and Ken are back – and with WDC 2026 Athens about to happen, what better time to get the tournament organiser, Spyros Dovas, on the show to talk about everything you can expect from rocking up to Greece this year. Intro Gavin and Ken kick off the show with cheers and reintroduce the podcast after a hiatus of over five months (0 mins 10 secs) Gavin explains the gap – his move away from Brisbane has made catching up with Ken less frequent, and a previously recorded episode went out of date before it could be released (1 min 30 secs) Gavin flags he's still searching for employment and shares his brief, unsuccessful foray into applying at Dan Murphy's – though he remains a loyal patron (3 mins) Ken notes that Gavin is heading to a certain upcoming tournament, and Gavin confirms he'll be attending WDC 2026 in Athens – flying via Singapore and living something closer to backpacker than five-star (4 mins 30 secs) Gavin talks about his travel plans, including the Athens itinerary, flying before the Middle East situation affected routes, and his fondness for Singapore's airport (6 mins) Gavin reflects that while he's been to Greece before, it's been about twenty years – and this time he'll be doing things differently (8 mins) Interview with Spyros Dovas – WDC 2026 Organiser Gavin introduces Spyros as the tournament organiser for WDC 2026 (as distinct from Tournament Director Jamal Blakkarly) and hands over to him (9 mins 30 secs) Spyros explains how the venue came to be chosen – rather than a downtown Athens hotel, his wife suggested the beachside suburb of Saronida, about half an hour from central Athens, which he knows well (10 mins 30 secs) Spyros describes the venue logistics: as registrations grew, he booked an auxiliary venue nearby so there's now capacity for even a very large crowd (13 mins) Gavin asks Spyros to make the pitch: why should people come to WDC 2026 in Greece? Spyros covers the competitive angle (previous world champions, strong contingents from the US, Australia, and across Europe), the community experience, the setting, the weather, and the pricing advantages of being just before peak tourist season (14 mins 30 secs) They discuss the FOMO build-up section on the official WDC website (17 mins 30 secs) Spyros outlines the pre-tournament activities organised for Wednesday and Thursday (18 mins 30 secs): Wednesday – a day trip to the island of Hydra, departing from Saronida to Piraeus and taking the fast boat across (approx. 1.5 hrs) Thursday – a guided tour of the Acropolis with what Spyros describes as the best guides operating there, followed by a walk through Plaka and the historic centre, lunch by the sea, and an evening trip to watch the sunset from the ruins of the Temple of Poseidon Gavin enthuses about the Hydra day trip and reflects on the island's significance to Greek identity, noting it's less well-known internationally than Santorini or Mykonos but stunning (23 mins) Gavin shares that he's already visited the Acropolis and Parthenon once before, about twenty years ago with his family, but is genuinely excited to experience it again with expert local guides (25 mins) They discuss accommodation in Saronida – Spyros notes a good range from five-star hotels to Airbnbs at reasonable prices for this time of year, though availability is diminishing and people should book soon. He offers to assist anyone having difficulty (27 mins) Gavin mentions the Athens neighbourhood guide Spyros has put together – a Google Map indicating where to stay, where to avoid, and the character of different areas – inspired by advice Spyros gave his own son who is now studying at Bocconi University in Milan (29 mins) Gavin asks whether anyone stands out as a favourite to win. Spyros diplomatically declines to name names, noting at least a dozen players who wouldn't surprise him as champion – which he says makes the tournament all the more exciting to watch (3