The town of Umag, after coming to be known as a town of sports and recreation, has turned this informal title into an official one during the proclamation ceremony of European capitals and towns of sports, held this past Wednesday in the seat of the European Parliament in Brussels
The ceremony was attended by Mayor Vili Bassanese, his deputy Ivan Belušić, town council president Jurica Šiljeg and head of the social activities department Slaviša Šmalc, as Jutarnji List reported on November 8, 2017.
The delegation of Umag accepted the flag of European Town of Sport for 2018 and thus confirmed the excellence in this segment. Expressing his satisfaction over this prestigious award, Mayor Bassanese stated it represents “an additional confirmation that the harmony of environment, services and infrastructure in Umag has reached the highest level.”
“In today’s highly developed society, sports activities have become a categorical imperative which has a direct effect on social, economic and health image of a community. Umag is the only town in Croatia which successfully organises the Sports Fair for seven years now, during which athletes bestow their values onto citizens and in mutual sporting experiences help build a healthy lifestyle,” exclaimed Bassanese, adding that in order to enable the best conditions for Umag citizens, all town sports facilities are modernly equipped and completely free for Umag associations.
“With quality financing of public needs in sports we have raised the quality of educational work with youth and the number and equipment of sports facilities. At the same time a unique synergy of the public and private sector was created and all conditions have been met for numerous sports events and manifestations to be held at the national and international level,” Bessanese said.
The title of European Town of Sport for Umag, he feels, does not only promote this Istrian town, but also the possibility of cooperation with other European towns with the same title, as well as easier access to European Union funds.
Translated from Jutarnji List.
