The Director of the Sports Directorate, Aleksandar Sostar, presented a report on the Directorate’s activities over the past month and detailed its strategy for the future at the session of the Youth and Sports Committee, held on 28 April.

Mr Sostar underlined that the budget of the Sports Directorate had already been adopted before his appointment as Director, and that the assets were apportioned in the best possible manner. Sports represented at the Olympic Games, to be held in Athens in August, were given priority for funding. No sports associations have so far objected to the allocation of assets from the budget.

The long-term goals of the Sports Directorate, Mr Sostar stressed, were the drafting of a national sports development programme, the passage of new sports legislation, as well as privatisation of sports venues.

The chairman of the Youth and Sports Committee, Jovan Todorovic, warned that it should not be forgotten that the Committee’s responsibility is not only sport, but also youth, adding that the Committee’s activities should be directed at solving problems of the young. According to Mr Todorovic, issues warranting special attention are drug addiction and cults. The chairman also added that the state of the somewhat forgotten youth organisations, such as scout associations, should be investigated.

Mr Todorovic informed members present of the invitation for applications for Committee development funding; it was agreed to draft an outline plan of the Committee’s activities as early as the next session.

The Youth and Sports Committee did not have the necessary quorum for decision-making, as the required number of members did not attend the session.