Minister of Environmental Protection, Goran Trivan, was the guest of the fifth Scientific Conference “Sport, Health, Environment” organized by the Faculty of Sport of the University “Union – Nikola Tesla”. He reminded the attendees of the importance that a healthy environment has in the overall training process of athletes. He also pointed out the importance of the cooperation that the Ministry of Youth and Sports has with the Ministry of Environment.
– It is a great pleasure to be here today with you. Serbia pays great attention to the sport, and this is also indicated by the fact that the Ministry of Youth and Sports was formed in 1991, because it was then clear that this was necessary for the entire society. Also, it is inextricably linked with the line ministry that I lead. Our common goal is to continue to achieve results with the idea that school sport will be a base that will enable the development of top sports later on. The state must continue to finance school sport, and there are also no areas that are not environmentally dependent – Minister Trivan said and then added:
Environment, sport and health are inextricably linked. We all have to deal with the environment, because that’s the question of all the issues. But it’s a long journey from the fact to its recognition. We should invest a lot of effort in order to have a healthy environment. We will try to do everything in order for our athletes to have the best conditions for training, because it is very important that the training takes place in a healthy spring and a healthy environment – said Trivan.
Assistant of the Minister of Youth and Sports Darko Udovičić, thanked the Faculty of Sports for recognizing that in the field of sports, diplomacy is also very important:
– While I worked in the Waterpolo Association of Serbia and in the organization of waterpolo competitions, I had the opportunity to participate in some kind of sports diplomacy. Frankly, I felt that diplomacy in the sport is still undiscovered for us. A country like Serbia, big athletes, results and teams can and must capitalize on the potential of sports and diplomacy. We, as the Ministry of Youth and Sports, have realized the seriousness of this topic, so we have been working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the past few months to develop a database of athletes and sports professionals working abroad who want to get involved in the field of sports diplomacy. Also, we want to create a base of athletes and trainers who in a certain destination can in the foreseeable future take a significant place in our diploma. That is why we do not want to abuse them, but in the right way we use their strength and influence, and in that way, open our door to better relations with our country for better interstate relations”, said Udovičić.