Mega Despot team from Belgrade won the Serbian Wheelchair Basketball Cup (SKKK), after tournament that was held in Niš.
The tournament was held as part of the European Sports Week, and it brought together teams of Nais from Niš, Mega Despot from Belgrade and Hope Sport from Skopje. The games were held at the elementary school Miroslav Antić.
The European Sports Week is a traditional campaign of the European Commission that aims to promote an active and healthy life for all citizens.
During the tournament it was also presented the project “Building Bridges” as part of Erasmus+ small partnerships in sports. This project, whose coordinator is Barcel’hona Sports Events, brings together partners from Portugal, Ireland, North Macedonia and Serbia.
“The biggest result of the project is the fact that Council of Wheelchair Basketball Clubs became a full member of the Basketball Association of Serbia,” explained Marko Aleksandrović, president of SKKK.
The project aims to improve the knowledge of coaches who work with basketball players in wheelchairs, create new opportunities for athletes and increase the visibility and popularity of this sport, as well as encourage greater inclusion of people with disabilities in sports activities.
“This means that wheelchair basketball now uses all the resources of a well-organised system – from competition commissioners, to the licensing of referees, coaches and players – which was not possible before,” Aleksandrović said.
Thanks to the project, the Macedonian partner Hope Sport from Skopje became part of the Basketball Federation of North Macedonia and will play in the Serbian league in the future, thereby further strengthening regional cooperation and the quality of competition.
The Serbian Wheelchair Basketball Cup was organised with the support of the City of Niš, the Municipality of Mediana, the Faculty of Sports and Physical Education, the Health Center and numerous volunteers. The special attention of the audience was attracted by the presence of Nenad Krstić, the vice-president of the Basketball Association of Serbia and a legend of Serbian basketball, who expressed his full support for the further development of wheelchair basketball.
European Week of Sport and Erasmus+ Sport
The European Sports Week is a European Commission campaign that takes place every year from 23 to 30 September, and promotes an active and healthy life for all citizens, regardless of age, physical ability or current level of activity.
The Erasmus+ Sport programme enables the financing of projects that promote social inclusion through sports, volunteering, physical activity and tolerance. In this sense, the “Building Bridges” project unites these goals – with its international cooperation, the inclusion of people with disabilities in sports and the strengthening of knowledge in sports communities throughout Europe.
