This July Belgrade hosted the 25th World University Games and once again proved its potential for tourism and ability to make its guests feel at home. The 2009 Summer Universiade was the biggest sports event ever to take place in the Serbian capital. “Serbia has triumphed... This is truly a grand endeavor. We are now among giants,” said Bozidar Djelić, Serbia’s Deputy Prime Minister and the vice president of the Universiade’s Organisation Committee. Belgrade welcomed 8,600 athletes from 128 countries and 215 foreign journalists.

Djelić admitted that the international economic recession did take its toll on the Games by causing a reduction in the number of sports categories from 21 to 15. The necessary savings measures required that Belgrade stage the entire event with a mere € 75 million budget. In comparison, the Universiade cost its previous host – Thailand – € 300 million, while its next host – the Chinese city of Shenzhen – has announced it would spend € 720 million on the Games. Nevertheless, with its modest funds Serbia still managed to renovate 53 sports facilities, among many other expenditures.

George Killian, president of the International University Sports Federation (FISU), agreed that Belgrade was up to its role as a host city and said he believed that Serbia would benefit from the Universiade far more than some might have expected. “I’ve already told my hosts that the Universiade will bring you closer to the European Union more than anything else could, because everyone loves sports,” Killian said.

“We truly had great Games – and all the athletes and foreign embassy representatives I’ve spoken to here agree,” the FISU president added. The Federation’s general secretary, Eric Saintrond, said that the University Village was the best he ever visited. According to him, the Games’ organisation was not even hindered by the record-breaking rainfall and storms in Belgrade, nor by the latest flu pandemic. Only three cases of the flu were actually officially confirmed. “We have really had no complaints so far,” Saintrond said.

An upbeat atmosphere

About 1,500 healthcare workers looked after the athletes, overseeing among other things the daily preparation of 25,000 meals from five different cuisines: the Serbian, the Mediterranean, the Continental, the Vegetarian, and the Muslim, i.e. the Halal cuisine. The University Village also provided its religious guests with a prayer room, while nearby anyone interested could learn more about the achievements of one of Serbia’s greatest scientists, Nikola Tesla.

Information booths were situated throughout Belgrade, while the capital also organised numerous tourist programmes, of which the most popular were tours of the city’s downtown, Fortress Kalemegdan, the Skadarlija Bohemian Quarter, the Ada Ciganlija sports park, the St. Sava Orthodox Cathedral, as well as panoramic views of the city from its two rivers – the Sava and the Danube – and from open-roof busses. In addition, those athletes who finished competing early on had free time to visit the Exit Music Festival, held annually in Novi Sad.

“Everyone was upbeat. The atmosphere in the University Village was great. The positive atmosphere could be felt everywhere, it was [visible] in everyone’s face,” said Ukrainian gymnast Anna Bessonova, the winner of bronze medals at both the Athens and Beijing Olympic Games. “I really like the people, they’ve been very kind to us,” added Paola Espinosa Milagros from Mexico, the winner of the bronze medal in synchronised diving at the Beijing Olympic Games.

The Universiade’s 7,500 volunteers deserve a special mention, as they played an indispensable role in the event, themselves taking home valuable experience.

“This was a great opportunity for us to practice foreign languages and to get to know different cultures from throughout the world,” said 16-year-old Milica Trivić, who along with her friends, created a work of art at the Crvena Zvezda Football Stadium, where track and field competitions took place. Milica and her team used photocopied hand pictures to create an interesting mosaic on one of the stadium’s walls. “Many athletes joined us. The Irish [joined] collectively. It was really nice,” said Trivić.

Having made friends with volunteers from Russia, Ivan Nedjić promised to visit them in Kazan, during the 2013 Summer Universiade. “I’ve really made a lot of friends. Everyone asks us how to find this or that around town. They mostly ask about well-known tourist locations, but one guy from China even asked me where Čubura [a neighbourhood in Belgrade] was, because he heard he could find very old dwellings in that part of the city and wanted to photograph them,” said 20-year-old Nedjić.

Olympics in Southeast Europe?

Yet the greatest compliment to Belgrade was perhaps paid by Romanian journalist Adrian Ghioraie, who earns a living as an athletics coach in the United States and has had the opportunity to attend many competitions.

“I’ve really seen a lot of tournaments, and the Belgrade Universiade is on par with any of them. I’d love to see Bucharest host a similar event. The city itself impressed me, New Belgrade is an explosion of life and businesses, the night clubs have fully justified their good reputation – it’s clean, safe. With its rivers, Belgrade really has a great potential for tourism, and the Universiade was an excellent advertising opportunity,” Ghioraie said. He suggested that Belgrade should consider applying to host the Olympic Games.

“Many will perhaps laugh, but I really think that Belgrade should consider the Olympics, the possibility of hosting the world’s best athletes. I don’t mean in a few years, but in 10, 15, or 20, why not? I would personally love to witness an Olympics in Southeastern Europe. They were already staged in Athens, but Greece is already a member of the EU and thus stands apart from many of the other countries in this part of Europe,” Ghioraie said.

The Universiade was viewed on television by people from over 40 countries worldwide. A total of about 500,000 people viewed the Games in person, witnessing among other things the breaking of 34 Universiade records – four in track and field and the rest in swimming. The country with the most success was Russia, whose athletes took home 76 medals, of which 27 were gold.

Serbian athletes were successful as well, collecting as many as 19 medals – five gold, five silver, and nine bronze medals – which is a large step up from its five-medal total won two years ago in Bangkok, Thailand.