Olympic flame lit in Ilidža: Youth Sports Games opened, 2,500 children competed

(Patria) - The fourteenth season of the "Plazma Youth Sports Games" for Bosnia and Herzegovina began with a spectacular opening ceremony in Ilidža. Thus, the Municipality of Ilidža, as one of the SIM partners, joined Zaprešić, Ljubljana, and Belgrade as regional centers for the opening of the Games for 2024.

The Mayor of Ilidža Municipality, Nermin Muzur, wished good luck and fun to the girls and boys from first to fourth grade of elementary schools in the Ilidža area, and together with the students, lit the flame of the Youth Sports Games, officially opening the event.

"The Municipality of Ilidža is hosting the opening of the Youth Sports Games for Bosnia and Herzegovina this year. More than two and a half thousand students from Ilidža elementary schools gathered today for this unique sports event.

I am proud that we, as a local community, have supported this event and have the opportunity to host such an important occasion. What particularly pleases us is the positive feedback regarding the organization and our hosting," said Mayor Nermin Muzur.

Following the ceremonial opening, the SIM Sports Day was held – competitions in dodgeball and athletics for boys and girls from 1st to 5th grade of elementary schools in the Ilidža area.

In addition to Mayor Muzur, the start of the event was attended by the Prime Minister of Sarajevo Canton, Nihad Uk, the Minister of Culture and Sports of Sarajevo Canton, Kenan Magoda, and representatives from other levels of government.

The young people enjoyed games, fun, and dancing today, and they were addressed by the President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lidija Bradara, and the regional representative of the Youth Sports Games, Zdravko Marić.

The energetic hits of singer Amel Ćurić heated up the cheering atmosphere at the opening.
Tonight, the Kinder Cup in basketball is scheduled for 7 PM, and competitions in football, beach volleyball, and futsal will continue tomorrow.

The Youth Sports Games are the largest amateur sports event in Europe, providing children and young people with the opportunity to compete for free in 10 sports. Over the past 13 years, the Games have gathered over 517,000 children from across Bosnia and Herzegovina. The goal of the Games is to contribute to the development of tolerance, solidarity, respect for diversity, creating new friendships, and enabling a fair childhood for all children.