21.01.2018.
Rewards for the Swimmers for the Holy Cross
Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin and Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces General Ljubiša Diković visited today the Military Academy and talked with cadets who two days before had swum for the Holy Cross in Ada Ciganlija in Belgrade.
On that occasion, Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin and Chief of General Staff presented the cadets non-material stimulative measures – vacation with one family member in vacation and recreation facility of the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces on Tara Mountain.
Congratulating them on the achieved results, the minister of defence said that the Serbian Armed Forces were one of the most appreciated institutions in our nation and that it was because of its tradition, knowledge it demonstrated but most of all because of the people it gathered.
- In the swimming race for the Holy Cross it yet again demonstrated what fantastic people it has, what great cadets it has, what great NCO and officers it had, and it once again demonstrated why Serbia can rightfully rely on its armed forces and why Serbia can rightfully trust its armed forces. Development of sports in our armed forces is of the utmost importance and this year we will make concrete actions in terms of establishment of spots associations – the minister of defence pointed out, noting that additional attention would be paid to sports as a whole in order to further enhance physical fitness of each of our member.
- From the beginning of holding swimming for the Holy Cross on the Epiphany, as a symbol of the act of baptising Jesus Christ, I have always desired a member of the military to be on the winner’s pedestal – Chief of General Staff said emphasising his satisfaction with the fact that in the previous several years it had been precisely the members of the Serbian Armed Forces who had reached the Holy Cross first.
Congratulating cadet Sava Stanković on his success, General Diković reminded that in Kuršumlija as well the Holy Cross ended up in the hands of a member of the Serbian Armed Forces and he underlined that in many garrisons all over the country more than 150 soldiers and officers had swum for the Holy Cross and achieved notable results.
- A member of the armed forces, an officer in particular, has to have a pronounced desire within himself to achieve better results because it strengthens him as a person and helps him in performing professional tasks – Chief of General Staff said stressing that the achieved results were another proof that the Military Academy should be invested in and its sports capacities.
The cadets of the Military Academy who participated in swimming for the Holy Cross thanked the minister of defence and Chief of General Staff for the rewards and the support that they had provided to them. They also thanked the Head of the Military Academy who had recognised their potential and enabled them several week long preparations that had been conducted under the watchful eye of the physical fitness professor Đorđe Kozomora.
These cadets are active athletes who have achieved enviable results so far in military all-round competition and futsal, and who are already intensely preparing for the Military Cadet Games which are to be held in Indonesia in April.
The Military Academy cadet Sava Stanković is the winner of this year’s traditional swimming race for the Holy Cross which was held two days ago in Ada Ciganlija in Belgrade on the Epiphany, the great Christian holiday. In the competition of 54 young men, another five cadets swam with him on the Sava Lake and achieved notable results.
