03.08.2019.
Presentation of the Sport Unit and National Team of the Serbian Armed Forces
Minister Vulin: The Serbian Armed Forces always go for the win
Today, in the “Grand” Hotel on the Kopaonik mountain, Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin and Ambassador of the People's Republic of China Chen Bo attended a ceremonial presentation of the Sports Unit of the Serbian Armed Forces and the national team of the Serbian Armed Forces that is going to participate in the 7th CISM World Military Games in PR China.
Minister Vulin, addressing the gathered military athletes, underlined that they were the reason for our hope, and our conviction that they would win.
- Serbian people and Serbian Armed Forces always go for the win and for the first place. Honour to everybody, but advantage to no one. Always go for the win - Minister Vulin sent the message wishing them a lot of luck, courage and success at the upcoming competition and to wear the uniform of the Serbian Armed Forces with pride.
According to Minister Vulin, the Serbian Armed Forces is not merely a group of men and materiel, or a set of rules, but a set of values, which are the reason for its existence, so that they can be enhanced, implemented and defended.- Freedom, independence, pride of our nation, and family values like healthy living and sports, make the Serbian Armed Forces. Those men are gathered around the values they advocate for, which they protect. That is why the sport is very important for us in the Serbian Armed Forces - Minister Vulin emphasised, adding that the sport is one of the founding values of the Serbian Armed Forces which makes difference between a good and bad soldier.
He underscored that sport in the military teaches us about the values which we have to fight for - collective spirit, loyalty to the team, loyalty to the flag, readiness to scarify yourself for the friend next to you, to do everything in your power to make your country, nation, and armed forces proud of you.
- That is why, after so much time, we have established the Sports Unit, in order to gather the best members of the Serbian Armed Forces, and to give the athletes from our country a chance to teach us something, to help them pursue their professional career, and when they finish it, to remain a part of the Serbian Armed Forces and to transfer their knowledge to future generations. The message is that the best we have, has to be in the Serbian Armed Forces. The ones of the highest qualities, the bravest, the best, the most assured and the most valuable, they have to be part of the Serbian Armed Forces - the minister of defence stated.
According to him, the uniform of the Serbian Armed Forces which they will wear, is not a jersey, something that can be replaced and took off, but it is the highest value of one nation.
- You have been given the right and privilege to rightfully wear it, and to refer to it wherever you are, just like we call to you. The Serbian Armed Forces and their uniform are not just a team or jersey, since they cannot be swapped, and once you put it on, you wear it forever and all the life and you can always proudly say that you are members of the Serbian Armed Forces - the minister of defence sent the message to the gathered athletes adding that it was the fact that was worth as much as their world and olympic medals.Speaking about the upcoming competition, the minister highlighted that they would be considered as friends in China and that their hosts would tell them that Serbia was a great, proud and brave country, which 20 years before resisting NATO aggression had showed that it had been greater than power and more powerful than the evil.
- Twenty years later, you will prove that you are worthy of those who defended us on Paštrik and Košare, but you will do it with your heart, knowledge and skills - Minister Vulin stressed.
It is up to our athletes - Minister Vulin sent the message - to protect and preserve their country by their self-sacrifice, knowledge and hard work.
Congratulating the establishment of the Sports units and military national team of the Republic of Serbia, Ambassador Chen Bo noted that the all-encompassing strategic partnership between China and Serbia has been continuously developing under the leadership of President Xi Jinping and President Aleksandar Vučić.- Within this frame, the exchange and cooperation between our two armed forces has been even more intensified. In the hearts of Chinese people, Serbian armed forces are perceived as heroic armed forces which have provided a great contribution to the world fight against fascism. Twenty years ago, in a fight in which you defended your state sovereignty and territorial integrity, you have demonstrated heroic strength and your loyalty to your people and state which is deeply admired by the Chinese people - the Ambassador of China stated wishing luck to our competitors at the upcoming competition.
On behalf of the members of the Sports Unit, athlete Mihail Dudaš addressed the present and he underlined the importance of sports for everyone, stressing that sports strengthens morale and encourages cohesion among the members of military units, discipline and readiness to serve to common goal. He also expressed his satisfaction with the fact that he would proudly represent our country that year wearing the uniform of the Serbian Armed Forces together with other competitors.
Head of Delegation of the Republic of Serbia to CISM, Brigadier General Siniša Radović underscored that 18th October was significant date for the Serbian Armed Forces when our athletes would depart for PR China, where they will, during 10 days of competition, compete in 10 events with the greatest number of competitors in the uniform of the Serbian Armed Forces - 50 of them.
- Among these 50 competitors, there are members of national team of the Republic of Serbia, who have won European, world and Olympic medals so far, and we can say without false modesty that the competition in Wuhan is going to be the greatest event of that kind ever since the World Military Games have been organised, and some of the states will participate with more than 300 competitors - said General Radović stressing that our military athletes would give their best, since our armed forces had always been victorious. General Radović thanked everyone who had helped the military athletes, and especially Minister Vulin who had recognised from the first day the importance of military sports.
At today’s ceremony, as a sign of gratitude for the support to military sports, General Radović presented plaques and scrolls of honour of CISM to Minister Vulin, Ambassador Chen Bo, and President of Serbian Sports Association Davor Štefanek. The host of the upcoming 7th World Military Games is the People's Republic of China, and the games are going to take place in the city of Wuhan and our competitors are going to be accommodated in the Olympic village which can host 12,000 participants. Head of the Mission of the Republic of Serbia at the 7th World Military Games is going to be General Radović, who is the Head of Delegation of the Republic of Serbia to CISM.
Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin has passed the decision to establish the Sports Unit, or the Sports Division within the University of Defence. The Sports Division is organisationally divided in two groups, Group for Sport Activities and Group for Military Sports, or the Sports Unit.
Today’s ceremony was attended by Dean of University of Defence Lieutenant General Goran Radovanović PhD, Head of the Military Academy Major General Bojan Zrnić PhD, Head of Private Office of the Minister of Defence Brigadier General Siniša Kresović, President of the Serbian Sports Association Davor Štefanek, and representatives of military diplomatic corps, sports associations and local government.
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