EU Ambassadors join school students for celebration of sport to conclude European Sports Week

EU Ambassadors join school students for celebration of sport to conclude European Sports Week

Ambassador Luigi Soreca, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina and EU Special Representative to BiH along with Major General László Sticz, Commander of EUFOR, Damijan Sedar, Ambassador of Slovenia to BiH and Christine Detaille, Ambassador of Belgium to BiH visited the Elementary School Nafija Sarajlić in Sarajevo today and joined the students in marking the European Week of Sport in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The school received 150,000 euro under the EU4Sport project for the complete reconstruction of the sports hall and is now able to provide optimal conditions for physical education and recreational activities. EU4Sport has invested a total of 2.1 million euros on restoring and modernizing sports halls in Ustikolina, Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje, Zenica, Visoko, Vogošća, Tešanj, Rogatica, Sarajevo, Teslić, Šipovo and East New Sarajevo and represents one of numerous EU initiatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina aiming to strengthen the quality of education as one of the key elements of the country's development.

"I am very happy to be here today to conclude European Sports Week and to show the added value of the EU support to young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Education is very important for us, and sport is an integral part of education. Through sport there are three values which are very important for me which are respect, team work and fair play. It is great to see the impact that the EU4Sport project has made in 17 schools and Faculty of Sport in Sarajevo," said Ambassador Soreca.

On behalf of the school administration, Verica Musović thanked the EU for the support provided to enable a functional and modern space for many more generations to come. "This sports hall has seen and helped nurture a lot of talent and we hope it continues to provide a space for physical and sporting activities but also development of new friendships and skills vital for our youth and our community, added Musović.

Ambassador Soreca and the other EU Heads of Mission joined the students in the renovated facilities for a recreational volleyball match and to emphasize the importance of sport participation and physical activity in line with the overall goals of the European Week of Sport, an initiative launched in 2015 to encourage citizens across the continent to be more active and engage in sport activities.

In addition to the event in Sarajevo, the European Week of Sport has been marked across Bosnia and Herzegovina through activities engaging students, youth and members from recreational sporting associations in Bugojno, Mostar, Prozor-Rama, Gornji Vakuf - Uskoplje, Visoko and Žepće. Participants had the opportunity to take part in various sporting activities, test and learn new skills as well as to discover numerous advantages of an active lifestyle, in line with the overall goals of this European initiative marked across the continent.