Preparations for the 11th “Bentbasa Cliff Diving” edition of water diving at Bentbasa are nearing completion, and 25 of the best divers from across the region and the world will perform on Sunday at the attractive Sarajevo location and showcase their skills and precision in executing dives from a height of 19 meters.
The sports-tourism event Bentbasa Cliff Diving – water diving from an improvised platform will be held on Sunday, starting at 16:00.
“Bentbasa Cliff Diving”, the 11th in a row, is an event that brings together culture, sport, and tourism at a location that is a gem of the city of Sarajevo.
“The last time I competitively dove there was 11 years ago, and I won then. But I’ve been the host here for 11 years now and every year I try to really raise the event to a higher level, both in terms of sport and organization,” said organizer Dino Bajric.
Bajric emphasized that exceptionally good, safe, and precise dives from a height of 19 meters are expected.
“‘Bentbasa Cliff Diving’ is now recognized as a brand of the Canton Sarajevo (CS) during the summer tourist season,” said the Minister of Culture and Sports of CS, Kenan Magoda.
He added that the citizens of CS should feel the quality of the event in the right light and that the event should be produced at an enviable level, just like in previous years.
Magoda especially drew attention to the issue of pollution of the Miljacka River, a symbol of Sarajevo, and called on the City of Sarajevo, which is exclusively responsible for the riverbed of the Miljacka River, to initiate, together with cantonal and municipal authorities, the arrangement of the Miljacka Riverbed.
Director of the Tourist Board of CS, Haris Fazlagic, said that he is proud of the sports-adrenaline tourist event in the summer season, which takes place at the peak of Sarajevo’s year-round season, and that this location should be the foundation of the summer tourist offer.
He emphasized that Sarajevo can be an example to others in the successful use of a natural location and turning it into an interesting attraction, because that completes the overall image of Sarajevo as a tourist destination.
“That represents Sarajevo, sends a beautiful image of Sarajevo, a sports event in a cultural-historical and natural place in Sarajevo. Nothing new was made, and that’s a very important thing in these present times,” said Fazlagic.
Deputy Chairman of the Municipal Council of Stari Grad, Kerim Smailbegovic, said that this location should be active throughout the entire summer, not only during Bentbasa Cliff Diving.
“The Municipality tried to support this event. Yesterday, our services together with the organizers helped during the cleaning, secured the terrain so that the safety of the athletes and the divers would be as it should be,” said Smailbegovic.
Smailbegovic emphasized that it is important to popularize this event, especially because of the large number of tourists who visit Sarajevo, and especially the municipality of Stari Grad.
This year, 25 divers from the region and the world will compete, who will deliver attractive and demanding dives to the audience in the heart of Sarajevo.
They invited everyone to join this special event and enjoy the beauties of Sarajevo.
This year’s event is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Sports of CS, the City of Sarajevo, the Municipality of Stari Grad Sarajevo, Visit Sarajevo, the Olympic Committee of BiH as a special partner, the Government of the Federation of BiH (FBiH), as well as numerous companies as sponsors and media.
