SPORT / SPORTS
el as they would have been if there was no coronavirus.” You became OCS president in May 2017 and recently gained a second term. Did you expect to achieve such good results? “When taking on the posi- tion of president, which is a very responsible function, I knew one fact: that Serbia is a superpower of world sport and that our peo- ple, thanks to their genetic consti- tution, are gifted by God to achieve top sporting results. Together with the team of the Olympic Commit- tee of Serbia, I’m in daily contact with our top athletes and their coaches. Miracles don’t happen in sport; sporting miracles are creat- ed through hard work.” How would you assess the quality of Serbian sports? Despite us being a small country, we have great ath- letes like Jokić, Đoković, Ivana Španović et al. “We cannot rate the quality of Serbian sports on the basis of in- dividuals, rather we must observe the coming period, carry out the re- construction of some things in our sports and prepare for the Olym- pic Games in Paris. We must work systemically.” To conclude, how much can you use your experience to help our athletes at ma- jor competitions like the Olympic Games? “When I was chosen for this
function, extremely experienced people told me in simple words: Thank God that a coach has ar- rived in this position. All those who’ve sought my advice have re- ceive it on the same day. I’m always at their disposal to help with my ex- perience, without undermining an- yone's authority.” The best example is the case of Aleksandar Ku- kolj… “I advised that clever guy and great athlete to change catego- ry. His world championship silver medal confirms that this was the right thing for him to do. It showed that he is on the right track. Our country profited the most, gaining another medal and another repre- sentative at the Tokyo Olympics. In Rio 2016 we were represented by just one judoka, while in Tokyo there will be at least four of them. That also testifies to the good work done. As we speak at this moment, 72 athletes have qualified for the Games in Tokyo, and there will be ever more of them as the Games approach.”
Srbija je svetska sportska velesila, a naš čovek je, zahvaljujući svojoj genetskoj konstituciji, bogomdan da ostvari vrhunske sportske rezultate Serbia is a superpower of world sport and our people, thanks to their genetic constitution, are gifted by God to achieve top sporting results
62 | Olimpijada » Olympics
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator