The end of April is traditionally reserved for the most massive sports event in Belgrade, which gathered over 13,000 participants, and the Delegation of the European Union in the Republic of Serbia is a friend of the 37th Comtrade Belgrade Marathon. The European Union supports sports and sponsors sports initiatives therefore seeking to build the cohesion of the European community, ensure greater social inclusion and promote a healthy lifestyle.
This year’s Belgrade Marathon brought together competitors and guests from 72 countries around the world at distances of 10, 21 and 42 kilometres. Four EU teams (“Team EU – Better Together”) ran the 10K race, in addition to other colleagues from the EU Delegation, EU member states, young EU ambassadors who ran the half marathon and marathon individually.
Sportsmanship and commitment to unity were shown by all the marathon participants, and Emanuele Giaufret, the EU Ambassador in Serbia, pointed out: Running from one meeting to another is not only good for cooperation between Serbia and the European Union, but also helps me to be in good shape, and that’s why today I proudly ran my part of the race and we are quite satisfied with the result.
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The European Union’s support for youth and sports in Serbia is reflected in encouraging the education of young people, their mobility and involvement in decision-making, as well as the development of sports and the promotion of healthy lifestyle. As part of the Erasmus+ programme, more than 16,000 individuals from Serbia had the opportunity to participate in mobility projects, and Serbia actively participates in the organization of the European Week of Sport and activities related to the promotion of sports.
Serbia participates in the largest European programme in the field of youth, sports and education – Erasmus+, and since 2019 as a full member of the programme. With the support of the European Union, young people, athletes and students from Serbia participate equally with their colleagues from the EU in exchange and training projects. Since the beginning of this programme, Serbia has been the leading country in the region in terms of the number of approved projects for funding and the number of participants in mobility projects, and the total funds allocated to the Erasmus+ programme amount to EUR 14.7 billion.
