After the Greek military defeat in 1922 the club was forced to transfer, firstly to Athens and later, to the Athenian suburb of New Smyrna, where much of the population of Smyrna re-settled. The club always had a strong tradition of cultivating all major sports; it was the first Greek club to establish a track and field division for women, in 1925. Another major example of the club's contribution to Greek sports rests in the fact that it was Panionios that introduced Basketball and Volleyball in Greek sports society.