“Goodbye, dear Sarajevo!” With these words, 33 years ago, the then president of the International Olympic Committee Juan Antonio Samaranch closed the Winter Olympic Games that were held in 1984 in Sarajevo.
The first man of the IOC said that Sarajevo was the best organizer of the Winter Olympic Games in their history.
The International Olympic Committee in 1978, in Athens, chose Sarajevo for the organizers of the Olympic Games, and in the competition were Japanese Sapporo and the joint candidacy of two Swedish towns of Falun and Gothenburg.
A large amount of money was spent on the organization of the Olympic Games. The preparations that have lasted for years, besides well-organized games, had, as a result, built roads, hotel complexes on the mountains (Bjelasnica, Igman, Jahorina) as well as in the city, sports centers Skenderija and Zetra, cable cars, ski lifts…
Sarajevo has become the center of the world and media interests. Winter Olympic Games were held from the 8th to 19th of February. In the program were alpine skiing (Bjelasnica and Jahorina), bobsleigh and tobogganing (Trebevic), ice hockey and figure skating (Zetra and Skenderija), biathlon, cross-country skiing and jumps (Igman), according to historija.ba.
At these Games participated 49 National Olympic Committees, and Sarajevo reached a record number of participants (over 2,500). Sarajevo opened its doors and welcomed everyone!
The opening of the XIV Winter Olympic Games was followed by around 60,000 citizens of Sarajevo, on the Kosevo Stadium, and about two billion people over the TV.
The Olympic spirit is still alive in our capital city and its citizens, despite the generational shifts. Winter Olympic Games are certainly one of the best things that have happened to the city of Sarajevo and the state of BiH.
Take a look at the VIDEO.
(Source: faktor.ba)
