We are lucky to have a man at the head of the state who understands significance of athletics to development of Serbian sport: Jevrosimovic about results, plans and help of PM and the Government
When you have talent from one side, profession from the other, organization of Athletic Federation of Serbia from the third and the support of the PM Vucic from fourth, then it has to give results. Jevrosimovic for Telegraf.rs about successful organization of European Indoor Athletic championship and further plans
Serbia, Belgrade and Kombank Arena were the center of World and European athletics last week. The most beautiful picture was sent to the world from our capital, and the crown of European Indoor Athletic championship was won golden medal by Ivana Spanovic in long jump discipline, won with great jump of 7.24 meters. On that occasion, we talked with the first man of Serbian athletics, Veselin Jevrosimovic, who became the head of the Athletic federation of Serbia (AFS) eight years ago, and with the closest associates, the paved the road of success, whose fruits we are collecting today.
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What are his impressions of this complex competitions, the plans of the Federation, but also how important the support of the state and the understanding of the Government for this sport was, Jevrosimovic has conveyed in an interview with a lot of emotion and a sense of pride, because athletics was places on the pedestal of Serbian sport.
Are you happy with the organization of European Indoor Athletic Championship, held in Belgrade Arena last week?
- Considering that this was the first time such we are organizing this great competition and that there was a big mountain in front of us three years ago and we knew nothing what was behind it, this competition is more than successfully organized. What's more, all the awards that we have received from the world and European athletic organizations and the presidents of these institutions themselves Sebastian Coe and Svein Arne Hansen, are saying that this is the best and most organized European Indoor Championships they have ever been.
They are thrilled, not with the organization of the competitions themselves, continues Jevrosimovic and notes that the leaders of world and European athletics said they were never met so many young, capable and smiling people who speak foreign languages and who are ready to help at any time.
- It is indeed a great success for our sport, said the President of AFS, which almost did not exist eight years ago. The sport we managed to lift up from zero, put it on its feet and return to the place it deserves.
He says that all those malicious comments that were sent earlier, that no one would come to the Arena and the audience is not interested have fallen into the water.
- I think that we explained everything on Sunday. The audience explained how to cheer for their athletes, for their own country. We broke the record for attendance in European Indoor championships. You saw that there was no whistle while Albanian national anthem was playing. We have athletic audience, the entire families with children came, without any fear of an incident, they came to enjoy the competition. to enjoy sports. To be happy and proud.
Jevrosimovic said that he is glad we have shown everybody, what is athletics.
- Athletics is not only sport, athletics is a movement for healthy life, everybody can do athletics. It is the idea of Athletic Federation. We propagate athletics as sport of healthy life for entire family. Through the numbers we will be able to reach talented children, who we will direct towards professional athletics.
You are talking about the organization of European Championship with the eyes full of satisfaction and pride. Logistics and infrastructure have parked the competition, because the track in the hall itself has been lifted for two and a half meters.
- Arena was not just a sports arena, but also a true technological marvel. Never more difficult of complicated construction works have been completed in the hall, while the technology, screens, measuring equipment and start block have been connected into one system, electronic , hardware, and software.
- There were two small blunder, when starting a race, however, they were not the failure of the organizers, but of the official company that cooperates with the European Federation, the first time such technology has been demonstrated. It is a mechanism of the starting block and the initial impulse when a competitor starts and the electron gun.
- At the end everything went well, we passed the test. More beautiful picture could not leave Belgrade, for three days, the entire world was transmitting the competition. Radio Television of Serbia was transmitting live and they broke all the ratings. I want to send my congratulations to the entire RTS team and the director Veselin Grozdanic, who made this the crown of his career. The broadcast was done with 52 cameras. Athletic Indoor championship is the most complicated for live broadcast. You are almost having 7 competitions happening in the same time. Everything was done masterfully.
You have mentioned that the important exam has been passed. Was this competition supposed to actually be the conformation that we can organize the World Indoor championship in 2020?
- That is the opinion of all officials of European and World athletic organization. Congratulations are coming from entire world for the organization of this competition. Not only we have shown that we can organize it, we have shown that we can organize it better than everybody else. We got the support of Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and Serbian Government to apply for the organization of the World championship in 2020. This athletic track will be dismantled and moved to Cuprija, where new hall is being built and we will have third athletic hall in Serbia for training, and when World Championship comes, we will relocate the track from Cuprija to Arena for few days.
- It is the most modern track, that has a guarantee that it can be assembled and unfold 10 times. We have great conditions to practice athletics today.
For the athletics to be in the rightful place it deserves, success of Serbian athletes is important. Ivana Spanovic is first in the line, who made us happy with the result and medal. The question is almost no longer asked if she will break the world record.
- I don't like to bid with medals or scores. I can only commend our athletes, who fought bravely. This European Championship was never stronger before. In those three days, athletics was stronger than the Olympic games by results.
- You never had someone with the 21.03 meters in Shot Put to take fifth or sixth place. To have over 5 contestants who threw over 21 meters, or 5 or 6 people in pole vault over 5.80 in finals or this good long jump. We were focused on Ivana, who jumped further than any competition, but the other medals winners also had great result, around 7 meters.
- Our athletes fought in that competition. Asmir Kolasinac chose between the knife and Belgrade audience. He chose the audience and he will have to have a surgery most likely. Amela Terzic ran a very strong race, the qualifications were very strong and she achieved a record.
- The girl gave her best. However, on 1.500 race, a tempo was imposed on her she was not comfortable with. Young Antic jumped close to his personal record and he is a great potential, because we almost did not have a long jumper in the finals of European Championship for 40 years. We will yet to hear about young Milica Emini who entered the qualifications for 60 meter hurdles.
You have seen Dudas, who fought bravely, he almost had a medal around his neck, but he had bad luck. He was chasing, his heart wanted it, but his body has failed him. He is also a winner to me. Tamara Salaski couldn't manage the crowd, but she is worth much more. They were all great.
Of course, the third day was completed with a spectacle. Jump of Ivana Spanovic of 7.24 meters, third result of all times, best in this century. Ivana showed that she has the capacity and that no one can sense her limits.
You have mentioned the full Arena, the entire families that watched the competition. How big of an impulse can these results give to Athletic Federation to attract the children to this sport, as basic, with great prerequisites that have been created in the past eight years? and to reach quality from these numbers.
I think that we have shown why athletics is the queen of sports. After this competition we can't defend ourselves from the parents who want to enroll their children into athletics. We have thousands of requests. AFS is cluttered, athletics became a role model, our athletes became role models and indicator to the parents in what sport they want to see their child. Schools of athletics have flourished. When you go to the athletic track on Banjica, there are 300-500 children every day. It is a beautiful image. It is at this point when you feel the atmosphere and energy, when you see the significance of what you have done.
That is why the the help of the state is very important. You were at the reception in Serbian government with the national team and coaches.
We are lucky that we have a man at the head of the state that understands athletics, supports athletics and without his support, we couldn't have done this. I am using this opportunity to thank Aleksandar Vucic, because during his mandate, we managed to build 10 stadiums, two halls, and the third one will be soon finished in Cuprija. We got the construction of athletic stadium, because no where in the world Athletics and football go together like here.
Every country has a special athletic stadium, where you have everything in one place. Where you can train for all disciplines in one place. You just cant shot put or throw javelin on the Red Star or Partizan stadiums, because you would destroy the field. We as a city with over two million people, Belgrade as a metropolis, must have an athletic stadium, and with it comes candidacy for the European Championship in the open, and perhaps the World Championship when the time comes.
We really owe all the gratitude to the Prime minister Aleksandar Vucic and to Ministry of Youth and Sport, headed by Vanja Udovicic, for offering great support of base sports, as well to mayor Sinisa Mali, who was the President of the Organizational Committee where we together, as a team, managed to create a wonder. We worked hard for three years, invested a lot of emotions, energy and effort, that we are still not aware how successful this competition and organization really was.
One great team has been made in Organizational Committee, where the director of AFS Slobodan Brankovic showed true manager capabilities. He is someone who worked on presenting the entire organization, which was huge, you have over 800 contestants, 250 judges, 650 accredited representatives of the media, 450 volunteers and over 300 members of security. We brightened the face of Serbian sport, country and sent the most beautiful picture in the world from this competition, the city and the country.
After this successful competition, i have to ask you for your plans. You announced the possibility of organizing two more great competitions in our city, which would make Belgrade the capital of European athletics?
I have to repeat that it is a true luck to have a man at the head of the state who understands the significance of athletics for the development of Serbian sport in general, the significance of athletics as basic sport. Athletics is not a sport sponsors are chasing for. Without the help of the state you can't develop athletics.
By investing in athletics, you are not developing only that sport, you are investing in sport in general. If a child doesn't learn to run properly, breathing, posture, synchronization of arms and legs, that will later interfere with doing some other sport. This doesn't have to remain in athletics, not everybody is talented to be professional athlete, but they will get a base to do any other sport.
Athletics is more than sport. Everybody could see that during these three days. That secondary effect that athletics carries with it. You can only see a small tip of it, but you don't see the mountain underneath it and entire vastness. Well, that is athletics.
Our next mission is work with profession. It is the most important. We have to school as much young trainers as possible. We talked about that with prime minister Vucic. He noticed that himself, that we are lacking in coaches in some disciplines, and that we might have to bring them from other countries to pass the knowledge and to train our experts. I am constantly learning in my work and i will learn until i am living. That is an endless cycle.
Also, we must build athletic stadium to make Belgrade proud, and to continue with successful results, started by Spanovic, Dudas, Terzic, Kolasinac, Jelaca, Bekric.
As you can see, we always had one or two successful athletes. Now we have 15. We were second on the Balkaniad right behind Greece, with 9 medals, and 5 of our contestants did not participate. We are the strongest athletic force on Balkans.
It is a long process. Athletics is a system, you can not establish is a year or two. It is set for years, decades, and then it starts giving results. What we seed now, we will enjoy that in few years, to cheer and to look forward to medals.
In these eight years, since i came to the head of the Federation, there is no competition we haven't won a medal. Also, what is most important is that i have learned a lot in that period. When i applied i had no idea it would reach to this level, what results will this system give we have set up. But, when you have talent from one side, profession from the other, organization of Athletic Federation of Serbia from the third and the support of the PM Vucic from fourth, then it has to give results.
(Telegraf.co.uk / Marko Ivas)
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