“After many decades, the stadium in Knjaževac got the look which we all who practiced sports dreamed of. Complete reconstruction will contribute that Knjaževac becomes a town of sports and a healthy lifestyle so that the youth stays here and has adequate conditions for sports activities. We would not be able to implement this project without the support from the Kingdom of Norway and we are very thankful for that,“ the Mayor of Knjaževac Milan Đokić said.
The works conducted through the “Norway for You – Serbia“ project included the installation of irrigation systems, paving of the athletics tracks, removal of the grass plantation of both ancillary football courts, construction of the metal fence around the stadium and the ancillary football fields, reconstruction of the east and west brick stadium fence.
“This was one of the first projects we approved for funding through “Norway for You – Serbia“, as a support to the lesser developed municipalities. Despite our main objective to fund mainly development and improvement of local infrastructure or education, it was important to support the reconstruction of the stadium and to provide better conditions for sports and recreation to the children and youth in their town, because the population in Knjaževac had been decreased by half in the last few decades. We had two reliable partners – local self-government of Knjaževac and UNOPS, which implemented this project – so we have tangible results today,“ the Embassy of Norway in Belgrade stated.
Thanks to the support from the Kingdom of Norway, this improved conditions for some 9,400 children and youth in Knjaževac, 2,200 members of local sports clubs, about 3,000 residents of the recreational sports community and around 300 sportsmen and sportswomen who prepare for competitions every year. The Kingdom of Norway funded this project with 100,000 Euros and the Municipality of Knjaževac co-funded it with 120,000 Euros.
