Sports Games of Youth in Livno, Sanski Most, Bihać and Bijeljina: Socializing, Friendship, Fair Play and Healthy Growing Up

(Patria) - Competitions and socializing within the 16th season of the Sports Games of Youth continued in recent days in cities across Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Livno, Sanski Most, Bihać and Bijeljina hosted a large number of children and young people who, through sports, cheering and shared socializing, once again showed the true spirit of the Games, confirming the importance of friendship, fair play and healthy growing up.

Together with the Olympic Committee of BiH, the Games are once again promoting Olympic values on fields across Bosnia and Herzegovina, encouraging friendship, mutual respect and fair play.

The patrons of this year's season are the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the President of the RS, and the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sports.

A Sports Day was held in Livno, which gathered over 600 children through sports competitions and entertainment programs.

The official opening was marked by the traditional lighting of the Flame of Friendship, which was lit together by the Mayor of Livno, Darko Čondrić, and NBA basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans, Karlo Matković, with the young participants of the Games.

Matković's arrival particularly attracted the attention of the participants, as he sent a message to the children about the importance of sports, perseverance, and believing in their own dreams.

The most successful in the 60-meter race were Marija Kuliš, Josip Dolić, Lukrecija Mišić, and Luka Vukoja from the "Ivan Goran Kovačić" Elementary School, while the teams "Poskoci" and "Anđeli" qualified for the Grand Finals of the Games in Sarajevo in the dodgeball competition.

As a prelude to this year's activities of the Sports Games of Youth in the Una-Sana Canton, the fun and educational project "Zero Waste - Be Part of the Game, Let's Protect Our Planet" was implemented in Sanski Most and Bihać, organized in cooperation with the company Coca-Cola and with the support of the Agency for the Sava River Basin.

The goal of the project is to educate children and young people about the importance of environmental protection, proper waste disposal, and the protection of water resources.

Following the educational events, a Sports Day was held in Sanski Most, which was marked by sports and children's joy, with the participation of over 700 children from seven elementary schools.

The Flame of Friendship was lit together by the Mayor of Sanski Most Municipality, Mensur Seferović, Demir Jakupović, and the young participants of the Games, officially opening the sports day.

A special moment of the event was the exhibition friendship race of children from the association "Nada" (Hope), which was met with great applause from the attendees.

As part of the sports program, competitions were held in dodgeball, athletics, and volleyball.

Teams "Pobjednici" (Winners) from the "5. oktobar" Elementary School and "Materini jorgani" (Mother's Quilts) from the "Hasan Kikić" Elementary School qualified for the Grand Finals of the Games in the dodgeball competition, as did volleyball teams OK Prijedor and ŽOK Sana, winners of the volleyball competition.

The most successful individuals in the 60-meter race were Sara Musić, Dino Velić, Merjem Avdić, and Mahir Mujagić.

Bihać was once again the scene of a great sports atmosphere, socializing, and numerous competitions within the Sports Games of Youth.

After the Sports Day, which was officially opened by the Mayor of Bihać, Elvedin Sedić, by lighting the flame together with the young participants of the Games and Džan Durak, a representative of BiH in road cycling, competitions were held in basketball, futsal, and tennis, which gathered a large number of children and young athletes.

The most successful in the basketball competition were the teams Mladost I from Bosanski Petrovac in the women's category and XXL in the men's category.

Orhan Pečenković and Una Teljigović qualified for the Grand Finals of the Games in the tennis competition, while the team "AN Jedinstvo" will represent Bihać at the semi-final football tournament for the Una-Sana Canton.

- We are proud that Bihać continues the tradition of hosting the Games and that our youngest citizens have the opportunity to showcase their talent through sports, but also to make new friends, develop togetherness, and adopt values that they will carry through life.

It is particularly gratifying that the City Square was filled today with children's smiles, positive energy, and sportsmanship - said Mayor Sedić.

Bijeljina hosted competitions in chess and table tennis, where young athletes showed great talent, concentration, and sportsmanship.

In the chess tournament, the most successful were Dunja Gajić, Sofija Stanić, Emin Osmanhodžić, and Boško Jovanović, while in the table tennis competition, Milan Vržić, Nikolina Rižić, and Jelena Ivković qualified for the Grand Finals.

Through sports, socializing, and joint activities, the Sports Games of Youth continue to connect children from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina this year, creating memories, new friendships, and the most beautiful sports stories.

The next host cities of the Games are Bosanska Krupa, Novi Travnik, Lukavac, and Banja Luka.