A month ahead of the 20
th Belgrade Banca Intesa Marathon at a gala held
at the Belgrade City Hall, the awards of the Administrative Board of the
Belgrade Marathon Ltd. were presented to the institutions, business
partners and individuals for the outstanding contribution to creation,
sustaining and development of Belgrade’s marathon race.
Following an interesting performance, Dejan Nikolić, director of the
Belgrade Marathon, welcomed the guests on the behalf of Aleksandar
Đorđević, Administrative Board Chairman of Belgrade Marathon Ltd.:
- With your help we will do our best to make the 20
th Belgrade Banca
Intesa Marathon a success and to promote, in the best way possible,
sports, recreation, healthy life, and also Belgrade and Serbia with all
of their potentials, for marathon is a little more that just sport…
The Fred Lebow Trophy went to the city of Belgrade, the Republic of
Serbia, the Ministry for Education and Sport – the Directorate for
Sports, current and former sponsors “Banca Intesa”, “Soko Štark” and
“Delta sport”, and the Athletic Federation of Serbia.
- The twentieth anniversary of the Belgrade Marathon shows just how
important an event it is, and I feel obliged to say that it represents a
bit more than just a 42 kilometre race. There are also the Children’s
Marathon and the Ladies’ Race, the Belgrade Race Through History, which,
hopefully, will be revived this year; there is also “Let’s Start with
Sports” project, and alongside marathon there are the half-marathon and
the Fun Run. We might get yet another event and we should give credit
for that to the Belgrade Marathon Ltd. and Dejan Nikolić’s patience,
perseverance and love towards athletics. All of us present are here just
to lend a hand and make the marathon and other races even better, - said
Andreja Mladenović of the City Council.
Of the same opinion were the representatives of other institutions and
organisations that had been awarded The Fred Lebow Trophy, Aleksandar
Šoštar, Head of the Directorate for Sports, and representatives of
current and two former title sponsors Draginja Đurić – president of the
executive board of “Banca Intesa”, Slobodan Vučićević, president of the
executive board of “Soko Štark” and Goran Karić, general manager of
“Delta sport”, as well as Milan Spasojević, president of the Athletic
Federation of Serbia.
- It is our pleasure to be the title sponsor of such a prominent
traditional event that, like Banca Intesa, nurtures and promotes
perseverance, physical and mental strength, desire to succeed and excel
every year, - said Draginja Đurić, president of the executive board of
the title sponsor.
“The Belgrade Marathon Diplomas” were presented to Mirjana Oraščanin in
the name of the Ministry of Interior Affairs; major-general Vidosav
Kovačević in the name of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of
Serbia; Ljubomir Belošević for the Serbian Post; Saša Vlaisavljević for
the “JAT Airways”; Vesna Savić-Đukić for UNICEF; Svetozar Krstić for the
Athletic Federation of Belgrade, and individuals -
Predrag Manojlović, a long-time president of the executive board, and
Franjo Mihalić, silver marathon Olympian of the 1956 Melbourne Games.
The diplomas will be awarded additionally to the IAAF, Radio Television
of Serbia, Partizan Yugoslav Sports Association, the EAA, the AIMS, the
New York Road Runners Club, Allen Steinfeld and Carl Lewis…
The 20th Belgrade Banca Intesa Marathon will be held on April 21, and
the potential participants were invited to take part by Mladen
Matičević, a marathoner and maker of documentary „How to become a Hero“
about his own participation at the 19th Belgrade Banca Intesa Marathon…
