Greek butchers sharpening their knives for 2020 meat Olympics

What were the chances of a butcher from the village of Platanias in Hania, Crete finding himself on the court of the iconic Golden 1 Center, the California home of the NBA's Sacramento Kings?

But there was no stopping Leonidas Mathioulakis from walking into the middle of the 17,000-seat arena once graced by hoops legends like Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic to get a feel of the venue where he will be heading the Greek national squad at the 2020 biennial World Butchers' Challenge in September.

Mathioulakis had the confidence of a winner as he made the trip from Hania to Sacramento, because Meating Greece had bagged the best burger prize in Belfast, Northern Ireland last year thanks to its use of Greek herbs and spices. The team is already sharpening its knives for more awards.

"Our first successful showing at the World Butchers' Challenge in 2018 filled us with...