FITEQ General Secretary Marius Vizer Jr led a delegation to leading teqball country Serbia last week as part of the Teqball Roadshow, where they held meetings with the Olympic Committee of Serbia, the National Sports Ministry and the Novi Sad Regional Sport Ministry.

Teqball has grown rapidly in Serbia in recent years, with 2018 doubles world champions Bogdan Marojevic and Nikola Mitro playing a key role in inspiring the next generation of teqers. Marojevic is currently ranked 11^th in the singles ranking and 13^th in doubles, whilst Mitro is 12^th in doubles and 91 in singles.

In addition to the high-level meetings with the Olympic Committee of Serbia, the National Sports Ministry and the Novi Sad Regional Sport Ministry, where FITEQ shared their vision for the growth of the sport, Marius Vizer Jr team held a series of workshops with the Serbian Teqball Federation to help accelerate the growth of the sport.

The federation’s President is former professional footballer Mr Ognjen Paripović. During an impressive career, he played for six-time Hungarian league champions Vasas SC, Azeri top-flight club FK Standard Sumgayit and Serbian SuperLiga team Proleter Novi Sad. Following his retirement, he moved into sports administration and as President of Serbian Teqball Federation he is the driving force of the sport’s development in the country.

On Olympic Day (23 June) Marius Vizer Jr and the FITEQ team of sport instructors organised training sessions in collaboration with Mr Paripović, before playing with the President, Marojevic and Mitro. During the roadshow visit, FITEQ also supported the Serbian Teqball Federation’s sustainability efforts by participating in a tree planting project. FITEQ is delighted to see the progress the National Federation is making in this area, following the guidelines set out in FITEQ’s Sustainable Development Handbook earlier this year.