Legend Goran Dragić Named Ambassador of the Plazma Youth Sports Games
Former Slovenian basketball player and EuroBasket champion Goran Dragić, who spent 15 years in the NBA, was officially named an ambassador of the Plazma Youth Sports Games at a ceremonial event held at Ljubljana Castle. With this appointment, Dragić has expressed his support for the largest amateur sports event for children and youth in Europe and joined the distinguished SIM family of ambassadors, which includes Aleksander Čeferin, President of UEFA; Nasser Al-Khelaifi, President of Paris Saint-Germain; and renowned athletes such as Luka Modrić, Predrag Mijatović, Slaven Bilić, Nemanja Vidić, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, and many others.
Over three decades of activity, the Youth Sports Games have brought together more than 3.4 million children and young people across Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Slovenia, with North Macedonia joining this year as the fifth participating country.
The founder and president of the Games, Zdravko Marić, expressed his gratitude to everyone who has supported the Games over the years, especially partners and sponsors, highlighting the importance of unity, institutional support, and the involvement of prominent sports figures:
“As always, I must thank a great friend of the Games, one of the finest people in the world, Aleksander Čeferin, for his continuous support over the past seven years. I would also like to thank the Mayor of Ljubljana, Zoran Janković, Minister Matjaž Han, and Prime Minister Robert Golob for recognizing the value of the Sports Games of Youth and giving us strong support. From the very beginning of the Games in Slovenia, I have been especially pleased to see how warmly they have been embraced by children. Together with the excellent team working here, the Games continue to grow and develop every year. This year, we expect more than 70,000 children in Slovenia, and across all participating countries over 400,000 children in the jubilee 30th season of the Games. A special thank you goes to the children who participate, as they are our greatest motivation and the driving force behind our efforts to be even better. I would also like to thank all the athletes who support us, and especially our new ambassador, Goran Dragić. I am confident that through his example and authority he will further inspire children and young people to engage in sports and embrace healthy lifestyles.”
Goran Dragić, legendary basketball player and gold medalist with the Slovenian national team at EuroBasket 2017, has now officially become an ambassador of the Plazma Youth Sports Games. With his extensive experience from a 15-year NBA career and his sporting authority, he will support the largest amateur sports event for children and youth in Europe.
Željko Obradović, the most decorated basketball coach in Europe and ambassador of the Games, welcomed Dragić into the SIM ambassador family. On this occasion, Dragić remarked that the only regret in his remarkable career was never having had the opportunity to play on a team coached by Obradović. He added: “I came here, met many wonderful people, and that is exactly what sport brings – it teaches you great values that we then try to pass on to young people. I believe this project is truly phenomenal because it connects our region. I am truly honored to be here today. Sport has given me everything. I come from a family where I learned that you should always give something back to society. I grew up here in Slovenia and I always enjoy returning home, to the most beautiful city in the world. It is a great honor to be here with you today. I can promise one thing – I will do my best for us to continue this story together and to do something meaningful for young people and future generations.”
Congratulating the new ambassador at the ceremony were Tomislav Družak, envoy of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia Andrej Plenković; Robert Golob, Prime Minister of Slovenia; Aleksander Čeferin, President of UEFA and ambassador of the Games; Zoran Janković, Mayor of Ljubljana; Matjaž Han, Minister of the Economy, Tourism and Sport of Slovenia; Tanja Fajon, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia; and Husein Memić, Minister of Tourism and Youth of the Government of Serbia.
Among the ambassadors and friends of the Games present were Goran Ivanišević, Veselin Vujović, Zlatko Zahović, Radoslav “Rašo” Nesterović, Predrag Danilović, Marijan Kustić, Radenko Mijatović, Sara Isaković, Brigita Bukovec, Andreja Aleški, Uroš Zorman, Boštjan Cesar, Milivoj Novaković, Senijad Ibričić, Kruno Simon, Vladimir Androić, Marko Simeunovič, and many others.
This major sporting initiative would not be possible without the strong and long-standing support of our partners and sponsors, led by Bambi. The event was also supported by Gjorgji Hristov, General Manager of Coca-Cola Adria; Tomislav Čizmić, President of the Management Board of Telemach Slovenia; Marica Makoter, Member of the Management Board of Triglav; and Josip Komar, President of the Management Board of Westgate Group. Special thanks also go to Telekom Srbija for its continued support. This year, the Games are also welcoming new sponsors, including Blaž Brodnjak, President of the Management Board of NLB; Maks Helbl, President of the Management Board of Gen-I; Andrej Ribič, President of the Management Board of DARS; and Alenka Potočnik Anžič, Marketing Director of Hisense Gorenje Europe.
Prime Minister of Slovenia Robert Golob also addressed the attendees: “Today I am truly honored to be here because I deeply believe in the nobility of this idea, this initiative, and this organization, which has today exceeded many expectations. Much of what we all hoped for is now becoming reality and spreading unstoppable. I am particularly proud and happy to be with you today, because initiatives like this are more important than ever in today’s world. I am deeply grateful to you, Zdravko, for being the first to launch this initiative, thanks to which young people today can connect and spend time together, just as we once did when the world was different. They gather in a spirit of community, mutual respect, and friendship — not only through their love for sport but also through respect for one another. I hope this message will not remain only within this hall or only among the young people who will participate in the Games in the future, but that we will send it to the whole world.”
The ceremonial program was enriched by performances from the Slovenian vocal group Dinamitke and Tripaj feat. Nipke and Erik, who performed the song “Ena pika, druga pika”, dedicated to Goran Dragić. The event was broadcast live across nine countries on N1, Sport Klub, and Arena Sport television networks.
