Podgorica, as a sports city with a tradition of great results in many sports, should provide, in cooperation with the state, coordinated and system-based infrastructural and financial support for sports to numerous talents. This includes the establishment of sports academies, the construction of an athletics stadium, a multifunctional hall for martial arts and the like, Boris Mugoša, candidate of the European Union for mayor of Podgorica, said at the forum "Sport and Youth".
He spoke about the key challenges and necessary steps for the improvement of sports in the capital, as well as the importance of supporting young people in their development, according to the announcement of the European Union.
Mugoša emphasized the importance of physical education classes in schools.
"I believe that schools have an exceptional role in recognizing sports talents. When talent is recognized, clubs and associations should take care of that child," he said.
He also said that investments in sports are often misunderstood.
"We don't invest in sports just to win medals, that's not the point. We invest in the physical and mental health of young people," he pointed out.
He explained that it is crucial that children are taught from a young age to love the clubs from their city. "I teach my children to love Podgorica clubs because I think we should all love the clubs from our city first. They don't have to be the best, but they are ours. This way we develop and strengthen love for our city," said the holder of the European Union list.
He also pointed to the need for an even greater presence on various shelves in bookstores, stores, etc. of products with symbols of local clubs.
Vuk Pejović, a non-partisan candidate on the list of the European Union, director of sales and marketing at the "Budućnost" basketball club, and manager of the Euroleague One Team project for socially vulnerable categories, said that the city, society and the state as a whole must take care of successful athletes in unprofitable sports. and to provide them with a job in the profession so that playing sports does not threaten their existence.
He also pointed out the challenges of the market, saying that products with the symbols of other clubs cover the entire area of former Yugoslavia and that it is not easy to be competitive with them.
"Our assortment is limited, but the club is continuously working on improvement. The future is a club that can easily fill the hall with its fans, which is a rarity in the region," stated Pejović.
Ivan Banović, coach of younger categories and founder of Handball Club Zabjelo, which is playing in the First Montenegrin League this year for the first time in its history, highlighted the poor state of sports infrastructure and school sports in Podgorica.
He assessed that the lack of basic infrastructure negatively affects the sports development of children and pointed to the need to organize school sports competitions that would help in recognizing talents. As a potential solution, Banović proposed the establishment of a handball academy in Podgorica.
Non-partisan candidate on the list of the European Union, Nikolina Perunović, the goalkeeper of the football team of Montenegro, pointed out that the situation with women's football is improving, but that there are still challenges.
One of the panelists, Andrej Đeljošević, the founder of the kick-boxing club "Budućnost", whose competitors win medals at the most prestigious international competitions, said that the successes of competitors are not evaluated adequately, that sports clubs do not have sufficient finances, and that what motivates athletes love of sports.
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