Ceremony in Sarajevo City Hall: Željko Obradović New Ambassador of the Games of the Small Nations

(Patria) - Serbian basketball coach and former basketball player Željko Obradović was proclaimed the new ambassador of the Games of the Small Nations today at a ceremony in Sarajevo City Hall.

Obradović is one of the best European basketball coaches, currently leading Partizan. He has won a total of 64 titles, and a record nine times he was the EuroLeague winner with five clubs. He ended his playing career, during which he won Olympic silver in 1988 and World gold in 1990 with the SFR Yugoslavia national team, at the age of 31, when he became the coach of Partizan.

Addressing the attendees, he said that he was greatly honored and pleased to be proclaimed the ambassador of the Games today.

"The Games are an incredible idea, and the values they promote are most important precisely for children, and first and foremost, it is respect for others if we want to be respected," Obradović emphasized.

The President of the Organizing Committee of the Games of the Small Nations, Zdravko Marić, stated that he is honored that Obradović is becoming an ambassador, thanked him for deciding to join them, and emphasized that they expect a lot from him.

The ceremony was also attended by the Federal Prime Minister Nermin Nikšić, who greeted the attendees and welcomed them to Sarajevo, especially sports legends like Obradović.

Today, Obradović joined the large family of ambassadors of the Games of the Small Nations, which includes Aleksander Čeferin, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, Johannes Hahn, Arkady Dvorkovich, Luka Modrić, Predrag Mijatović, Darijo Srna, Nemanja Vidić, Slaven Bilić, Šime Vrsaljko, and many others.

Special recognitions and thank-you notes for supporting the Games were awarded today to Mehmed Baždarević, Nemanja Matić, and Slaven Bilić, who arrived in Sarajevo.

The Games of the Small Nations are organized amateur sports competitions for children and youth founded in Split in 1996. They are held in Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with plans to expand to other countries.