Belgrade is ready for the European Running Championships in 2027

For the second consecutive year, as part of the 37th Comtrade Belgrade Marathon, the Sports Forum was organized. The conclusion of leading experts from various spheres of the sports industry is that Belgrade is ready to host the European Street Running Championships in the 10km, half marathon, and marathon events in 2027.

The Belgrade Marathon has submitted a candidacy to host the Continental Championship, and the decision is expected after the meeting of the European Athletics Council, scheduled for mid-October. In the same year, the 40th anniversary edition of the most massive international sports event in our country will be held.

The opening speeches for the first session were delivered by Nikola Penić, the Secretary for Youth and Sports of the City of Belgrade, and Prof. Dr. Nenad Trunić, the Dean of the Faculty of Sport and Management in Sports at the Singidunum University, which is the patron of this event.

During the first session, discussions revolved around medical care, safety, and doping control at the 37th Comtrade Belgrade Marathon. Speakers on these topics included Nikola Prica, Secretary of the Red Cross of Belgrade, and Darko Glavaš, Head of the Secretariat of the City of Belgrade for Defense Affairs, Emergency Situations, and Coordination.

The theme of the second session was the cooperation of the Belgrade Marathon with organizers of other marathons, as well as with European and World Athletics. The introductory address was given by the director of the Belgrade Marathon, Darko Habuš. Participating in the panel discussion were Michael Nishi, director of the Chicago Marathon; Marko Vasić, one of the directors of European Athletics; Chris Robb, director and founder of the “Mass Participation World” running conferences; Lucija Kolić, an official measurer of World Athletics; and Igor Radošević, a professor at the Faculty of Sport, Singidunum University.

Michael Nishi spoke about the collaboration between the Belgrade and Chicago marathons.

“Belgrade and Chicago are sister cities, and I’m glad to see our collaboration getting stronger and stronger. It’s great to see many new things implemented in the Belgrade Marathon. The record number of 13,000 participants shows that the organizers have done a fantastic job. I hope everyone enjoys tomorrow’s spectacle,” said Nishi.

Miloš Vasić from European Athletics is thrilled with the idea of Belgrade bidding to host the continental championship in street running.

“Belgrade is an excellent candidate with the support of the Belgrade Marathon and the Serbian Athletics Federation. I am confident that all the conditions outlined in the candidacy will be met, and I believe that the capital city of Serbia has a great chance to host the best European runners in 2027,” emphasized Vasić.

In the introductory lecture of the third session, Professor Dr. Dušan Borovčanin, the director of EXPO 2027, spoke. The panel discussion focused on the sports-tourism aspect and the potential of the Belgrade Marathon from the perspective of partners, sponsors, collaborators, and friends of the Belgrade Marathon. Speaking on the panel were Marijana Vasilesku, director of Medi Group; Bojan Mijailović, director of Sava Insurance; Branislav Đukić, vice president of Comtrade; Nataša Pavlović, director of marketing at IDEA; and Jelena Dubovac, director of marketing at NIKE.

“It was a pleasure for me to acquaint the participants of the Sports Forum with the plans and expectations related to hosting EXPO 2027, especially since sports, alongside music, are the main theme of the Specialized Exhibition that will be held in Belgrade,” stated Dušan Borovčanin, the director of EXPO 2027 Belgrade.