"You are FYROM. You have always been FYROM and you will always remain FYROM." This statement of an official, given prior to the Macedonian female athletes' tae kwon do match, was the last Greek provocation that forced Macedonia's Agency for Young and Sport (AMS) to withdraw all 133 Macedonian athletes at the start of the last competition day of the first Sports Games of Southeastern Europe, which were held in Thessaloniki and ended on Saturday.

Approximately 70 percent of the funds for organization on these Sports Games for athletes between the age of 14 and 18 were secured with European money. As a result, AMS announced that it would protest against this degrading conduct towards the Macedonian representatives to all relevant international institutions and sports organizations.