Press conference held on the occasion of Subotica City Day
At the press conference held in the media centre of the City Hall on the occasion of the Subotica City Day celebrations, a rich eight-day programme was announced.
Jasmina Stevanović, a member of the working group for organising the City Day celebration, briefly described what the celebration looks like, starting on 29 August with the race of the 4th Subotica Half Marathon, and then pointed out that on 1 September the now traditional raising of the flags follows, with a performance by a string orchestra, a ceremonial session of the City Assembly, and in the rich music programme Aco Pejović, Miklós Fenyő and the Subotica Symphony Orchestra will perform.
Deputy Mayor Imre Kern pointed out that the celebration will be further enriched by a gastronomy and handicrafts fair, which will be set up in the city centre from Saturday, 28 August.
Miloš Nikolić, artistic director of the Subotica Symphony Orchestra, promised the audience a concert of Latin music with a performance by one of the world’s best tenors, Béla Mavrák.
The director of the Tourist Organisation of Subotica, Aleksandar Medaković, said that 6.3 million dinars had been allocated from the city budget for this celebration, and that the tourist information centre will work extended hours so that all visitors get the information they want on time.
Regarding the 4th Subotica Half Marathon, the Vice-President of the sports association Horizont, Žika Savin, addressed all media representatives.
Since the Subotica Half Marathon is on 29 August, this year the Subotica City Day event symbolically begins with this very race.
- First of all, I would like to thank the city administration and all the public enterprises that take part in organising the race with their wholehearted help. They accommodate us to the maximum and many thanks for that. The police, the Emergency Service, the communal police and the Red Cross are there too, Savin pointed out.
This year the race is limited to 1,000 participants in the half marathon and 500 participants in the Active Kids Future Run children’s races.
- On the course we will have 80 security staff and around 120 volunteers, we will have 10 refreshment stations on both sides of the course, 4 of them with music and entertainment, at points from the Sports Hall to the Monument at Prozivka. We will have 5 Emergency Service stations and two of their vehicles, plus 2 technicians on bicycles with defibrillators. Cycling club BK Spartak is also helping us with its 6 cyclists who will accompany the first and last runners, Žika Savin points out.
The programme begins with the children’s races at 8:30, which last until 9:30. After that, addresses by Mayor Stevan Bakić and the President of the City Assembly Bálint Pásztor are expected. Then comes the warm-up, and then the main race, which starts at 10 and lasts until 13:00.
- The course has not changed much, so this year too it starts from the start/finish gate by the National Theatre and runs towards Jadran. Then from Đure Đakovića Street the route runs to Maksima Gorkog Street, then towards the monument to Ivan Sarić, and then along Cara Dušana Street towards the City Library, from where it continues into Braće Radić Street. This street is run all the way to Prozivka, where the runners turn right at the Prozivka swimming pool into Nade Dimić Street and then run onto the promenade at Gabrić Ćuprija. A full lap of the park at Prozivka is run, and they return along the same route through Braće Radić Street to Maksima Gorkog Street, where they turn right and run to the Secondary School of Chemistry and Technology. There is a turn there and a return to Štrosmajerova Street, along which they run left into Matka Vukovića Street and to the Square of the Victims of Fascism, where they turn right and run to Petőfi Sándor Street, then right again to Jakab and Komor Square, then past the Synagogue and into Maršala Tita Avenue and straight on to the Sports Hall and then into Dudova šuma. After a full lap of Dudova šuma, passing the student dormitory, they run back into the Avenue keeping to the left, to reach the roundabout where they turn left into Zmaj Jovina Street and then right into Đure Đakovića Street, where we practically return to the start. Two such laps make up the Subotica Half Marathon, except that the second lap ends by entering the finish from Đure Đakovića Street and then along the Korzo to the finish by the National Theatre, Žika Savin explained precisely, ending his presentation with the following words:
Let us be good hosts, as the guests of our city have become used to us being. Let us receive them as befits, because this race is of both sporting and tourism importance for our city. They come to us from various cities of our beautiful Serbia, but also from 17 countries around the world. I would also take this opportunity to invite all people of good will to come out onto the streets and cheer for our runners, because there is never enough motivation, and we all know what a supporter means to every athlete.
Here you can get to know the race map in detail.
Source: lovalova.rs