Friends: Crvena zvezda mts and Singidunum

KK Crvena zvezda mts got a new partner, and that is the most successful Wheelchair Basketball Club in this area – Singidunum.

Wheelchair basketball as an Olympic sport has the same rules and the same goal, and that is the promotion of basketball as a game for everyone. KK Crvena zvezda mts has been promoting this beautiful sport for many years, and now a new and first official step in that direction has been made. A contract was signed between the Crvena zvezda and the most successful club in this area in wheelchair basketball – Singidunum.

In this way, KK Crvena zvezda mts continued the trend it set – to be the best with the best. However, at the same time, he made a historic step forward. Why? This was best explained at the press conference by the captain of the Singidunum Wheelchair Basketball Club, Željko Ćirković, who said with a lot of emotion:

“Feel free to say that this is history,” Željko took a short break as he officially signed the contract, and then added:

“I think that no one in the Balkans, out of all wheelchair basketball clubs, has ever signed a contract with any club and established such cooperation,” Željko Ćirkovic said.

It was also the best indicator of how big this event is for all athletes with disabilities. They have brought a lot of success to Serbia throughout history, but it seems that they have never received adequate attention. Crvena zvezda, as the biggest sports brand in Serbia and the region, stood by them. In this way, Singidunum also got a real and true friend. The great interest of the media for this conference, as well as the announcement that all the best clubs from Serbia will follow the example of the Crvena zvezda mts, is a real example that we are on the right track. We believe that this partnership and friendship is just the beginning of a lot of beautiful things and events for the promotion of Paralympic sports and wheelchair basketball.

The president of the wheelchair basketball association, which has historical place in the BC Crvena zvezda, also played a big role in establishing this cooperation, and it is the celebrated basketball player Vladimir Kuzmanović:

“If you ask me at the beginning what this cooperation will contribute to, this conference is the answer. That is, in addition to the Crvena zvezda mts, the Singidunum wheelchair basketball club will receive an additional promotion. Considering that this idea originated from the Wheelchair Basketball Association, of which I am the president, I can be overjoyed that other ABA leagues have accepted our invitation and that all five clubs from the territory of Serbia will be in some way networked in such activities and contribute to promotion. Next to me, Željko Ćirkovic is the captain of the national team, few of you know that we have made historic successes by placing in the B division. Serbia is among the best 17 national teams in Europe, which is a great success considering that we have a convincingly smallest number of basketball players in wheelchairs, and this is one step to attract new members. Believe me, people with disabilities do not know about such manifestations, this sport, and according to statistics, there are as many as 10 percent of them among us. Now that you think about it, the question is have you seen them anywhere. This is one way for the wheelchair basketball club Singidunum, Soko, Despot, Nice and Vojvodina to get their partners in order to promote this extraordinary sport. Believe me, it is the only sport for people with disabilities that is played according to the same rules as much more famous basketball. Therefore, thank you to the Crvena zvezda mts for this conference, thank you for having the ear to recognize what we as the Federation have proposed, and of course it is up to Singidunum and the Crvena zvezda to further develop cooperation. I have no doubt that it will contribute to the popularization of this sport, “Kuzmanović pointed out.

Singidunum captain Željko Ćirkovic also spoke at the official conference about the new cooperation:

“I would like to thank the Wheelchair Basketball Association of Serbia and BC Crvena zvezda and especially Mr. Filip Sunturlić for the indicated trust. I would invite all people with disabilities to play wheelchair basketball and I believe that in this way we will really succeed in improving and developing wheelchair basketball to the level it deserves. Wheelchair basketball … until you see it, I can talk to you until tomorrow, but it is one of the best and most beautiful sports for people with disabilities. I hope that you will continue to follow us, ” Željko Ćirkovic pointed out.

Then the GM of Crvena zvezda mts Filip Sunturlić spoke, who explained in more detail the role of Crvena zvezda in this pioneering project in this area, but the role of the Club in the past:

“First of all, I would like to greet you all and thank you for taking the time to come at conference like this. This topic may not have been attractive enough in the past, but I think it will change now. The way we set things up and the way this whole project is designed will drastically affect the popularity of wheelchair basketball and generally Paralympic sport, the sport of people with disabilities. I believe that all this will affect their position in society, that our entire society will not reject them, because they are people who are worthwhile, who are honorable, good and who do their best every day. All of us from BC Crvena zvezda mts had the privilege to cooperate with the Wheelchair Basketball Association and even five years ago we launched the initial idea for the Serbian wheelchair basketball league in which there were six clubs. During that period, I became attached to all those people. I can only tell the Vlada (Kuzmanović), Željko (Ćirković) that we are honored to be with you. We are honored to help promote sports with disabilities. We are honored to sit with you and we will be there for everything you need, to give you maximum support in every way. Our friends will stand close to you, so that you too have true and sincere friends who will be with you at any time of the day or night, regardless of the occasion. This is not a classic conference and contract signing. This is something that the Crvena zvezda has been promoting for years and decades. The way we all understand the Crvena zvezda as the club is such that its strength of the brand influences the promotion of good things and we use that power to the maximum for human things that may have been on the margins, and certainly do not deserve to be in that place. Crvena zvezda mts in my personal name, but also everyone in the Club, says thank you for everything. We promise to be the best version of ourselves to help you. We want it not to remain just words, paper is paper, but the way we will do it in the future is something that is most important to us and that we want as people in the first place, and then as the biggest sports brand in this area. We are glad that we started this and that other clubs in Serbia are following us, and I hope that it will be the same in the region. The Crvena zvezda, as the forerunner of many things in society, made a step forward this time as well and showed that we can understand sports and our positions in society in a different way. We only have to show on the field and in deeds who we are and what we are, all together “, pointed out the GM of the BC Crvena zvezda mts, Filip Sunturlić.

Prijatelji – Crvena zvezda mts i Singidunum

Košarka u kolicima kao olimpijski sport ima ista pravila i isti cilj, a to je promocija košarke kao igre za sve. KK Crvena zvezda mts već dugi niz godina promoviše taj lep sport, a sada je učinjen novi i prvi zvaničan korak u tom pravcu. Potpisan je ugovor između Crvene zvezde i najuspešnijeg kluba na ovim prostorima u košarci u kolicima – Singidunuma.

KK Crvena zvezda mts je na ovaj način nastavio trend koji je postavio – da najbolji budu uz najbolje. Ipak, u isto vreme je napravio istorijski iskorak. Zašto? To je najbolje na konferenciji za medije objasnio kapiten Kluba košarkaša u kolicima Singidunuma, Željko Ćirković koji je uz puno emocija rekao:

’’Slobodno kažite da je ovo istorija’’, napravio je Željko kratku pauzu dok je zvanično potpisivao ugovor, a potom dodao:

’’Mislim da niko nikada na Balkanu, od svih klubova košarkaša u kolicima nikada nije potpisao ugovor sa bilo kojim klubom i uspostavio takvu saradnju’’, istakao je Željko Ćirković.

To je bio i najbolji pokazatelj koliko je ovo veliki događaj za sve sportiste sa invaliditetom. Oni su kroz istoriji Srbiji donosili puno uspeha, ali čini se da nikada nisu dobili adekvatnu pažnju. Crvena zvezda je kao najveći sportski brend Srbije i regiona stala uz njih. Na ovaj način i Singidunum je dobio pravog i istinskog prijatelja. Veliko interesovanje medija za ovu konferenciju, kao i najave da će svi najbolji klubovi iz Srbije slediti primer Crvene zvezde mts je pravi primer da smo na dobrom putu. Verujemo da je ovo partnerstvo i prijateljstvo, samo početak lavine lepih stvari i događaja za promociju parolimpijskog sporta i košarke u kolicima.

Veliku ulogu u uspostavljanju ove saradnje imao je i predsednik saveza košarkaša u kolicima koji ima svoje istorijsko mesto i u Crvenoj zvezdi, a u pitanju je proslavljeni košarkaš Vladimir Kuzmanović:

’’Ako me pitate u startu čemu će doprineti ova saradnja, ova konferencije je odgovor. To je da će uz Crvenu zvezdu, klub košarkaša u kolicima Singidunum dobiti dodatnu promociju. S obzorm da je ova ideja potekla od Saveza košarkaša u kolicima, čiji sam predsednik, mogu da budem presrećan što su i drugi ABA ligaši prihvatili naš poziv i što će svih pet klubova sa teritorije Srbije biti na neki način umreženi u ovakve aktivnosti i doprineti promociji košarke u kolicima. Pored mene je Željko Ćirković kapiten reprezentacije, malo vas zna da smo napravili istorijske uspehe plasmanom u B diviziju. Srbija je među najboljih 17 reprezentacij u Evropi, što je veliki uspeh s obzirom da imamo ubedljiv najmanji broj košarkaša u kolicima, a ovo je jedan korak da privučemo nove članove. Verujte, osobe sa invaliditetom ne znaju za ovakve manifestacije, ovaj sport, a prema statitstici ima ih čak 10 odsto među nama. Sada kada razmislite, pitanje je da li ste ih negde viđali. Ovo je jedan put da klub košarkaša u kolicima Singidunum, Soko, Despot, Najs i Vojvodina dobiju svoje partnere u cilju promocije ovog izvanrednog sporta. Verujte, to je jedini sport osoba sa invaliditetom koji se igra po istim pravilima kao i mnogo poznatija košarka. Zato, hvala Crvenoj zvezdi za ovu konferenciju, hvala što su imali sluha da prepoznaju ono što smo mi kao Savez dali predlog, a naravno na Singidunumu i Crvenoj zvezdi je da dalje razvijaju saradnju. Ne sumnjam da će to doprineti popularizaciji ovog sporta’’, istakao je Kuzmanović.

Kapiten Singidunuma Željko Ćirković je takođe govorio na zvaničnoj konferenciji povom nove saradnje:

’’Zahvalio bih se Savezu košarkaša u kolicima Srbije i KK Crvena zvezda, odnosno gospodinu Filipu Sunturliću na ukazanom poverenju. Pozvao bih sve osobe sa invaliditetom da se bave košarkom u kolicima i verujem da ćemo na ovaj način stvarno uspeti da unapredimo i razvijemo košarku u kolicima na nivo koji zaslužuje. Košarka u kolicima… dok ne vidite, mogu vam pričati do sutra, ali to je jedan od najboljih i najlepših sportova za osobe sa invaliditetom. Nadam se da ćete nastaviti da nas pratite’’, istakao je Željko Ćirković.

Potom je reč imao direktor Crvene zvezde mts Filip Sunturlić koji je bliže pojasnio ulogu Crvene zvezde u ovom pionirskom projektu na ovim prostorima, ali ulogu Kluba u prošlosti:

’’Pre svega želeo bih sve da vas zdužno pozdravim i zahvalim što ste našli vremena da ispratite ovakvu konferenciju. Možda je ova tema u prošlosti bila nedovoljno atraktivna, ali mislim da će se sada to promeniti. Način na koji smo postavili stvari i na koji je osmišljen ceo ovaj projekat će drastično uticati na popularnost košarke u kolicima i generalno na paraolimpijski sport, sport osoba sa invaliditetom. Verujem da će sve ovo uticati na njihov položaj u društvu, na celokupno naše društvo da ih ne odbacuje jer su to ljudi koji vrede, koji su časni, dobri i koji svakodnevno daju sve od sebe. Svi mi iz KK Crvena zvezda mts smo imali privilegiju da sarađujemo sa Savezom košarkaša u kolicima i čak pre pet godina pokrenemo inicijalnu ideju za ligu Srbije u košarci u kolicima u kojoj je bilo šest klubova. U tom periodu sam se vezao za sve te ljude. Mogu samo da kažem Vladi (Kuzmanoviću), Željku (Ćirkoviću) da je nama čast da budemo uz vas. Čast nam je da pomognemo da se promoviše sport sa invaliditetom. Čast nam je da sedimo sa vama i mi ćemo biti tu za sve što vam je potrebno, da vam damo maksimalnu podršku u svakom pogledu. Naši prijatelji će stajati blisko uz vas, da i vi imate prave i iskrene prijatelje koji će biti uz vas u bilo koje doba dana i noći bez obzira na prilike. Ovo nije klasična konferencija i potpisivanje ugovora. Ovo je nešto što Crvena zvezda već godinama i decenijama promoviše. Način na koji svi mi u klubu shvatamo Crvenu zvezdu je takav da njena snaga brenda utiče na promociju dobrih stvari i maksimalno tu snagu koristimo za ljudske stvari koje su možda bile na marginama, a svakako ne zaslužuju da budu na tom mestu. Crvena zvezda mts u moje lično ime, ali i svih u Klubu, kaže vama hvala za sve. Obećavamo da ćemo biti najbolja verzija nas samih da bismo vam pomogli. Želimo da to ne ostane samo na rečima, papir jeste papir, ali način na koji ćemo to raditi u budućnosti je nešto što je nama najvažnije i što želimo kao ljudi na prvom mestu, a onda i kao najveći sportski brend na ovim prostorima. Drago nam je što smo ovo pokrenuli i što nas drugi klubovi u Srbiji slede, a nadam se da će tako biti i u regionu. Crvena zvezda kao preteča puno stvari u društvu je i ovaj put napravila iskorak i pokazala da na drugi način možemo da shvatamo i sport i naše pozicije u društvu. Ostaje nam samo da na terenu i delima pokažemo ko smo i šta smo, svi zajedno’’, istakao je direktor Crvene zvezde Filip Sunturlić.