This Time It Will Be Gold, Says Serbia’s Olympic Swimmer Milorad Cavic
It is the stuff that movies are made of. Coming back from major surgery that could have resulted in paralysis to win Olympic gold would be a story made in heaven, if the 27-year-old American-born Serb Milorad Čavić can pull it off at the London 2012Olympic Games. In Belgrade, Čavić told W!LDRooSTeR that his training is on track to win the medal that was snatched from his fingertips in a controversial decision at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
In a close finish that still commands debate even among officials, Čavić was pipped to the post by Michael Phelps. But the result stands and Čavić came home with the silver medal. Had the decision fallen his way, Čavić’s career could have ended there and then. “I deeply feel that I would have stopped swimming had I won the Olympic gold,’ he said. “Maybe I would have continued for one more year but that’s it.”
Boris Tadic Believes His Record Will Be Enough To Win Serbia’s Election
Serbia’s president believes his record will be enough to win next year’s election. “I believe our citizens trust us to deliver what is in the best interests of our country,’ he said. “In some months time, at the general election, the citizens of Serbia will judge whether this coalition has delivered enough to go back into power. I believe they should and they will because this is the coalition which has fought for a new democratic base for our country and which has always fought for the choice of Europe.”
A sense of concern did betray the President’s front, when Boris Tadić addressed his party’s election promises. “What I want to convey is that the coalition government and my democratic party set out with some clear goals and it has systematically delivered those goals,’ he told businessmen and diplomats in London.
Europe Is Still Serbia’s Best Option, President Tadic Tells Business Leaders
Serbia’s future lies within the EU, if only because there is no better option, President Boris Tadićsaid in London, on Wednesday. “I am not that pro-European as it probably looks,’ he said. “Because of practical reasons, I don’t see any alternative.”
“From time to time I am faced with a challenge to explain why we are keeping that orientation in Serbia, even though the European Union is less attractive than a few years ago,’ said Tadić at The International Institute for Strategic Studies. “I try to explain to ordinary people that this is strategic orientation. This is not about Serbia tomorrow or after tomorrow, this is about Serbia in the next ten or twenty years. Today, tomorrow and in the future. That is very important. This is European integration, not only for Serbia but for all other regional countries.
Balkan States Could Make A Joint Bid For The Olympics, Says Tadic
The Balkan states could collectively host the Olympics in the not too distant future, if Serbia’s President Boris Tadić has his way. In an apparent flash of inspiration while visiting the London 2012 Olympic venues on Wednesday, the president came up with the idea as part of his greater plan to reunite the states of the former Yugoslavia. Maybe the idea is not as far-fetched as it might appear at first.
There are plenty of recent examples of countries working together to successfully host international sporting events. Spain and Portugal put in a combined bid for the World Cup 2018, alongside a bid from The Netherlands and Belgium, while Japan and Korea jointly hosted the football tournament in 2002, so why not bring together these ex-YU stable-mates to hold this sporting opus across the Balkans.
