21.12.2018.
Captain Nevena Jovanović wins prestigious award of the Olympic Committee of Serbia
Captain Nevena Jovanović from the “Cobras” Military Police Special Operations Battalion is the winner of the Prize for the best athlete of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces which is awarded by the Olympic Committee of Serbia for the first time.
Defence Minister Aleksandar Vulin presented this prestigious sports award to Captain Jovanović at this evening's celebration of the Day of the Olympic Committee of Serbia at the National Assembly House in Belgrade, during which trophies were awarded to the most successful athletes, teams and trainers in 2018.
Representatives of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Olympic Committee of Serbia, male and female athletes and numerous sports lovers were also present.Captain Nevena Jovanović pointed out how very pleased she was to be among the best athletes in Serbia.
- Sport has always been a way of life for me. It is my pleasure that I managed to combine two things that I love the most – the sport and the profession I am engaged in, Captain Jovanović said and thanked the Ministry of Defence, the Serbian Armed Forces and the Olympic Committee of Serbia for their trust and honour.
Nevena Jovanović was born in Bela Crkva on 6th November 1988. After completion of the Military Academy, she performed her first duty as a platoon commander in the Guard of the Serbian Armed Forces, and since 2013 she has been serving in the “Cobras” Military Police Special Operations Battalion. In her sports career she competed in athletics, orienteering, rowing and Nordic skiing. She has competed for the Serbian Armed Forces since 2007 and has managed to climb the podium as one of the top three finishers in both individual and team competitions more than 100 times. As her dearest achievements in the current year she distinguishes the first place finisher in the National Mountain Running Championship, the first place finisher at the 10-kilometer national running championship and the first runner-up in a team competition at the World Marathon Championship in Lebanon.
President of the Olympic Committee of Serbia Božidar Maljković congratulated the athletes on the results achieved in 2018 and said that this year was very successful for our sport. He also reflected on the importance of the newly established Award for the Best Athlete of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, because, according to him, the deepening of institutional cooperation and connection, which will become stronger and more intensive year after year, begins.Among the most successful athletes in 2018 there were tennis player Novak Đoković, who is the seventh time laureate of the award for the most successful athlete, while the volleyball player Tijana Bošković was named the best female athlete. The most successful women's team this year is the volleyball team, the winner of world gold, while the award for the best men's team was won by the three-to-three-men basketball team, also the world champion.
The men's basketball team under 18 was declared the most successful young team in Serbia. The best young athlete is taekwondo fighter Nadica Bozanić, while Zoran Terzić, the coach of the women's volleyball team of Serbia, won the title of the most successful coach.Special awards of the Olympic Committee of Serbia were received by the athletes Ivana Španović and Jovan Preković and the coaches Goran Obradović, Roksanda Atanasov and Marjan Vajda.
The Olympic Committee of Serbia also awarded Nataša Janković the Trophy of the International Olympic Committee for the promotion of the olympic values while Jasna Šekarić was awarded the Trophy of the Olympic Heart “General Đukić” as one of the best competitors in the history of shooting competitions.
