Divac: Over 100 Serbian athletes should compete in Baku

BELGRADE - Olympic Committee of Serbia (OCS) President Vlade Divac expressed hope on Monday that over 100 Serbian athletes will compete at the upcoming European Games in Baku, one of the most significant qualifying competitions for the Rio Olympics.

In the year preceding the Olympic Games, Serbian athletes will take part in many competitions, Divac said, adding that he is fully confident that the Serbian Olympic team will be large and strong enough to compete at the world's biggest sport event.

"The European Games, to be held in Baku this summer, are definitely the most significant sport competition this year. For the first time in its history, Europe will have such a competition, which will be a qualifying competition for as many as 11 of the sports that will feature in Rio," Divac said at a ceremony marking the 105th anniversary of the OCS.

Last year was exceptionally successful for Serbian sport, with 26 medals won in 10 different sports, said Minister of Youth and Sport Vanja Udovicic, particularly stressing that individual sports have returned to the international scene.

"I am glad that 79 Serbian athletes from 13 different sports have already secured their berths for the first European Olympic Games and I hope that they will be representing Olympism and Serbian sport in Azerbaijan in the right way," Udovicic said.

Noting that he has been living in Serbia for several years now, Azerbaijan's ambassador to Serbia Eldar Hasanov said that he has experienced in person the Serbians' love of sport.

Without a doubt, the Olympic Committee has had a particular role in popularising sport in Serbia as it has done much for the development of Serbian athletes, supporting major sports programmes in your country, Hasanov...