Children’s play channeled into sports is the most perfect educational model which imitates real-life situations and prepares children for the future in an age-appropriate and adapted manner. Children who play sports learn to accept responsibility and work hard, master organizational skills, learn to be generous and make sacrifices to help others and those weaker than them, and most of all, they learn fair-play. Savremena pays special attention to sports, so that children would grow into happy and healthy adults, prepared for any challenge life may throw at them.

Last week, a mini-Olympics for students of Year 1, 2 and 3 was organized at the Ranko Žeravica Sports Hall in Novi Beograd.

Savremena students were there, of course, because a sports competition can hardly be imagined without them. Our Year 1 and 2 students competed in the mini-Olympics. Their task was to pass the range as fast as they could, and they excelled at it – demonstrating skill, agility, team spirit, and sportsmanship. On top of that, they had great fun competing against their peers from other schools.

Savremena also cheered for Luka Vasiljević – rising tennis star

Year 1 student, Luka Vasiljević, made his first tennis steps at Savremena. He trained hard and demonstrated a strong desire to further hone his talent. With the great support of his friends, family, and Savremena, Luka mustered courage to apply for a tennis competition, winning second place. We would like to congratulate him on his success! 

Luka’s role model is Novak Đoković, whose success motivates him to continue training diligently. We do not doubt the commitment of Savremena’s little athletes in the slightest, and we believe that they will achieve their dreams. We are here to help them achieve everything they set out to do.

Let’s briefly recall the history of the Olympic Games, because one of Savremena students may win gold one day and remain written in history as an Olympic champion

The modern Olympics owes its existence to the ancient Olympic Games, held in Olympia, in the Peloponnese, at the sanctuary of Zeus. There is no reliable data on the first Olympic Games, but the most widely accepted date is 776 BC.

The sports featured at the Ancient Olympic Games included: short and long distance running, boxing, wrestling, pankration (combination of wrestling and boxing), pentathlon (long jump, running, discus and javelin throwing and wrestling) and equestrian events. During the games, all conflicts among the Greek city-states were postponed until the Games were finished.

One of the most famous features of the Olympic Games is the Olympic flame. In memory of the Ancient Olympics, the flame is ignited by the light of the sun, and then travels to the host city of the Games. A special torch is made for each iteration of the Games, and each bearer is given a copy, whereas the flame is relayed from one to the other. 

The Olympic flame was lit for the first time in 1928 in Amsterdam, at the entrance to the Olympic Stadium, and it burned all the way through the 1932 Games held in Los Angeles, at the Colioseum Stadium. Runners and rowers carried the torch through seven countries – Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Austria and Germany. It went on a journey of 3,442 kilometers (and as many bearers), and the last torchbearer was athlete Fritz Schilgen. 

The Olympic flame passed through Yugoslavia three times – during the 1936 Games in Berlin, 1972 Games in Munich, and 1984 Winter Olympics held in Sarajevo. 

The highest number of torchbearers was in 1964 – 101,866 people in total (bearers and their entourage), and the longest the torch had to travel was in 2008, during the Games in Beijing – 137,000 km in 129 days.

Until the next competition, we send sports greetings from Savremena!