"INVESTING IN YOUTH AND SPORTS IS OUR STRATEGY"
19.02.2014

Minister of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Serbia Vanja Udovičić and president of municipality of Palilula-Nis Boban Džunić visited the elementary school Kralj Petar I of Pasi Poljana, where after the gym, Palilula built sports fields for outdoor surfaces for more than 4,400 square meters (volleyball, basketball, handball, tennis courts, jogging trails, jump, athletics track) through the IPA CBC Programme Bulgaria-Serbia.

According to the Minister Vanja Udovičić, the importance of such facilities is huge, because it allows the proper development of children.

"This is an example of where you need to go with other municipalities across the country and we need to emphasize that every day. These multidisciplinary courses will surely give birth to future champions and give the big names in the sport, but it is more important that children are not on the street, where they have to deal with recreation and spend their free time and they could work on it. Everyone knows that investing in education and sport is the best investment.  As Minister,  I am welcoming any such action, and the municipality from which it is organized. This is an encouragement for all of us and gives us hope that Serbia can still be a great sporting hope", said Udovičić and announced future investments in sports infrastructure across the country. In the next period there will be work on the first phase of the athletic hall and we have started building two basketball halls in Belgrade, and many multidisciplinary fields throughout Serbia. "It is essential that children have the space to recreate and spend their free time, and we want to provide it to all cities and towns. It is of great importance for Serbia to get children involved in physical education, because we have the disappointing data, where every day we hear about the increase in obesity in children, flat feet, spine problems, and I think that is systematically engaged in the development of children, especially physical culture. This puts emphasis on the whole ministry and I as a minister, in the future will be dealing with exactly this problem, and we will try to solve issues that are before us, not to turn back or turn a blind eye to them", announced the minister Udovičić.

Sports Complex in front of affiliated primary school "Kralj Petar I" in Pasi Poljana occupies 4,400 square meters, has grounds for volleyball, basketball, handball, tennis courts, jogging trails, long jump and running track.