Opening of the European Mile in Serbia: Snow Edition

The Association Sport for All Serbia staged its 28th Open Ski Festival on 24-28 March 2021 in Kopaonik in accordance with the current pandemic measures of the Government of the Republic of Serbia. Special attention was given to promoting the new European Mile campaign, where skiers and those who like walking in the snow took part in the launch of the event. Everyday walking in snowshoes, apart from bringing about a range of health benefits, can be a great way to get to know your local mountains – if you have some!

One participant set a record by skiing 48.52km in one day. The other participants tried to break this record, but in the end they couldn’t match it. The best thing is that we encouraged the participants to set a goal to ski/walk a certain number of steps or km during the day, not only during the festival, but every day. In two days we collected exactly 361km – that is also a lot of miles!

The rest of the competitive programme consisted of alpine orienteering, a photo safari, snow volleyball and tug of war, where the most successful teams and individuals won medals and diplomas. Part of the educational programme, a free ski school for beginners and advanced skiers, was organised for 86 participants in cooperation with the Serbian Association of Teachers and Coaches of Snow Sports and sports experts.

This year's ski sports festival for all had an emphasis on the whole network of people involved in delivering sport for all activities: from the sports experts and recreationists, to snow sports fans, employees, volunteers, families, etc. It also showcased how to be physically active in the winter, with a high level of responsibility and care for others with respect to measures to avoid the spread of Covid-19.

Find a European Mile event here.