The new season of the Youth Sports Games, a manifestation that has been inspiring children all over Serbia for 12 years, encouraging them to learn about a healthy life, friendship, fair play, team spirit and respect for diversity through sports, was officially opened in Požarevac. This year, among the numerous disciplines, four regional finals in handball stand out, which gather as many as 400 young handball players, showing how strong sport can be as an ally in growing up.

This discipline gives children the opportunity not only to improve and develop their physical skills, such as coordination, strength and endurance, but also to strengthen social skills and self-confidence at the same time. Through the third regional final of the Wiener Städtische Cup, held after the ceremonial opening of the Youth Sports Games (SIM) in Požarevac, eight teams, boys and girls, had the opportunity to show their talent, but also to feel the true spirit of sport – togetherness, respect and perseverance.

First place in the boys’ category was won by Metaloplastika from Šabac, while Sloga from Petrovac na Mlavi triumphed in the girls’ competition. The trophies were presented to the best by Johannes Hahn, ambassador of the Youth Sports Games, and Zoran Blagojević, chairman of the Executive Board of Wiener Städtische osiguranje.

Johannes Hahn, SIM ambassador, expressed his great satisfaction that he attended the opening ceremony of the games in Serbia and the finals of the third regional tournament of the Wiener Städtische Cup.

“I am very happy to be here and to attend the opening ceremony and to have the opportunity to watch a handball match, because I come from a family that is fond of handball. I am happy to have watched the competition and I am really amazed by the quality of the game. I wish the players all the best, as well as the Youth Sports Games in Serbia and in the entire region – to be as successful as they have been in the previous 30 years,” said Han after the cup awarding ceremony at the Požarevac Sports Center.

Zoran Blagojević, chairman of the Executive Board of Wiener Städtische osiguranje, pointed out that the company recognizes this sport as an exceptional opportunity to support the personal development of young people, guiding them towards a healthy lifestyle and prevention of health risks.

“At Wiener Städtische osiguranje, we are committed to the promotion of an active lifestyle and risk prevention. We believe that a team sport such as handball plays an important role in the development of young people, as it helps them to adopt values ​​such as responsibility, discipline and team play. The partnership with the Youth Sports Games, the largest amateur sports event in Europe, shows our commitment to this goal, as it gives every child the opportunity to participate in professionally organized sports activities for free. Through this support, we want to contribute to the creation communities that provide equal opportunities for everyone, encouraging young people to adopt healthy habits and be responsible for their health”, emphasizes Blagojević.

The tournament in Požarevac was the third of a total of four planned regional finals, and two were previously held in Gornji Milanovac and Petrovac na Mlavi. The next step is another regional final in Novi Sad, and then the national championship in Apatin, which will bring together the best teams from all over the country. These competitions are an opportunity for children from different backgrounds to connect, make lifelong friends, learn new skills and be active.

When it comes to handball competitions, the Youth Sports Games, in cooperation with Wiener Städtische osiguranje, organized nearly 200 professionally organized matches in which over 2,000 girls and boys, aged 2010 and younger, participated, making the Wiener Städtische Cup the most massive handball event of the year. These tournaments are part of a wider initiative whose goal is to provide children and young people throughout Serbia with a free opportunity to play sports and develop healthy habits.