From 1959-60 the Greek championship changed to its modern form and the first division became known as Alpha Ethniki (usually noted as A' Ethniki). Since 1959-60 Ethnikos is tied for the 8th-most first division participations with 36, along with OFI and Apollon.long the way, Olympiacos developed a habit for luring Ethnikos' best players, like Greek national team players Philippos Kourantis in the late 1920s, Yiannis Chelmis in the late 1930s and Yiannis Ioannou in the early 1950s.