65,000 children’s smiles in the 14th season of Plazma Youth Sports Games
After 149 days of competition in 46 cities and municipalities throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Plazma Youth Sports Games concluded in Sarajevo with the second shift of the Grand Final. This season, the medals were distributed to a diverse range of cities and towns, including Brčko, Čapljina, Bijeljina, Zenica, Obudovac, Kozarska Dubica, Foča, Tuzla, Modriča, Gračanica, Konjic, Srebrenik, Nevesinje, Kalesija, Gradačac. This diversity of winners, from various cities and towns, truly showcases the broad participation and inclusivity of the Games, a fact that should make us all proud.
The Grand final of the Plazma Youth Sports Games was divided into two shifts this year due to the increased number of participants and the fact that even the youngest YSG players are coming to the final competitions. The first shift was held from June 18 to 20, and the Games in our country received their representatives in dodgeball, athletics, table tennis, and chess. After the youngest YSG players, the capital of our country hosted the second round of the Grand Final from July 8 to 10, during which futsal, handball, basketball, volleyball, beach volleyball, and tennis competitions were held. In both of these shifts of the final, more than 1,600 competitors from all parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, apart from the competitions, enjoyed a three-day stay in Sarajevo, socializing and having fun.
In cooperation with the special partner of the Games – the Olympic Committee of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Games also worked on the sports fields this season to promote Olympic and sports values, tolerance, and fair play. During the second shift of the finals, an educational workshop was held for the participants, providing valuable information on the importance of the impact of climate change on sports and life in general. The sponsor of the previously held regional and semi-final competitions is the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sports, and the partners of the Games in this final phase of the season, the Grand Final in Sarajevo, are the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Canton of Sarajevo, the City of Sarajevo, the Tourist Board of the Canton of Sarajevo – Visit Sarajevo and the Municipality of Ilidža.
Two days of competitive activities and this shift of the Grand Final of the Plazma Youth Sports Games were marked by exciting duels on all sports fields. The final soccer match of the Coca-Cola Cup for boys in the category 2008 and younger was played as the last in the Grand Final. In a duel that could be followed via live broadcast on Sports Club and Arena Sport channels, the teams of ‘Hasini’ met friends from Gračanica and ‘Pirometal’ from Brčko. Through cooperation with the UEFA Foundation for Children, the Games promotes women’s sports, especially soccer, encouraging as many girls as possible to register for competitions and show they can be just as good at soccer as boys.
After the competitions, the most exciting part of every season followed – the medal ceremony. Three individual awards were also given during this year’s closing ceremony. Irina Erkić from Zvornik was announced as the new young YSG ambassador. Her YSG story began with competitions in dodgeball, and for the last two years, with her soccer team from Zvornik, she represented our country at the International Finals in Split. In addition to socializing and having fun at the competitions, the Games, through their workshops, also try to point out the importance of formal education. In that name, a special recognition this year was also given to one member of the YSG STAFF team – Adis Tabaković, who, in addition to all his work duties and traveling with the team this academic year, earned the title of Doctor of Science at the University of Sarajevo. The youngest member of the YSG team, who has been a part of the great YSG story since her birth, Zaina Deliahmetović, celebrated her 12th birthday on the second day of the Grand Final with all the finalists, a heartwarming moment that truly captured the camaraderie of the event.
The young YSG players received significant support from various community members, underscoring the collaborative effort to make the Games successful. Haris Fazlagić, the president of the Tourist Board KS Visit Sarajevo; Nermin Muzur, the mayor of the Municipality of Ilidža; Stjepan Dujo, the mayor of the Municipality of Novi Travnik; Vladan Milovanović, the chief of staff of the mayor of the Municipality of Srebrenica; Stefan Ličina and Mirela H. Mustafić, representatives of the company m:tel; Matej Šušnjar, a representative of the company MCI Široki Brijeg and the brand Pili; Dženan Mulić, a representative of the company Pharmanova in BiH; Rada Čutura, a representative of the company Imlek a.d.; and Ajdin Babić and Oro Ibrišimović, representatives of the Avtera company, all played a crucial role in supporting the young participants.
Bosnia and Herzegovina will be represented at the international final of the Plazma Youth Sports Games, which will be held in Split from August 19 to 24, by the following teams: ‘Pirometal’ from Brčko, ‘Radnik’ from Bijeljina and ŠN ‘Limači’ from Čapljina in futsal; RK ‘Kozara’ and ŽRK ‘Knežopoljka’ from Kozarska Dubica in handball; ‘All Stars’ and ‘Četvorke’ from Zenica in basketball; “Crvena Zvijezda” from Obudovac and “Matematičari” from Foča in volleyball, “Optima” from Modriča and “Mladost” from Brčko in beach volleyball; “Lavići” from Novi Travnik and “Punta Arenas” from Čapljina in the border, as well as individuals: Benjamin Demirović and Delila Salkić from Tuzla in tennis; Nikolina Šobo from Zvornik, Afan Pezo from Sarajevo, Semina Mujanović from Kalesija and Minel Imamović from Novi Travnik in athletics, Irina Petković and Nikša Vesović from Banja Luka, Nađa Đulović from Tuzla and Luka Sučić from Zenica in table tennis; Nikola Sibinčić and Anastasija Đurić from Banja Luka, Ivan Ćorić and Lucija Galić from Mostar in chess.
