Rich States Poach Former Yugoslavia’s Sporting Talent
Governments in the region are waking up late to the need for action to halt the flight of their future champions.
By Milorad Ivanović in Belgrade, Sarajevo, Zagreb and London
Serbs rejoiced when tennis stars Ana Ivanović, Jelena Janković and Novak Đoković delivered stellar performances at the French Open in June 2007. But the celebrations could all too easily have taken place elsewhere: All three have turned down tempting offers from richer countries, keen to harness the sporting prowess of the former Yugoslav republics.
According to Ana Ivanović's father, Miroslav, “Australian, American and European Union passports increase an athlete’s market value by 10 or 20 times, meaning sportspeople from these countries get incomparably more money from sponsors”.
Many sports stars have taken the bite already, lured by the promise of more money, better facilities and fresh career opportunities. More are ready to go; a straw poll of 100 athletes in Serbia, carried out specially for this report, showed at least 54 would consider changing their nationality.
The flight of award-winning athletes has been a traumatic experience for all former Yugoslav republics, involving the loss of some of their best “diplomats”. But nothing will stop their exodus until governments start to invest more in sports. Serbia is only now making a start, by passing legislation that will oblige the state to reward top athletes appropriately. The question is whether it’s too little, too late.
The sportsmen and women, themselves, want to see a new world-class sports academy built. “I can barely explain how we became a force to be reckoned with in tennis because there were no foundations in the country for our success,” says Novak Đoković. “Jelena Janković went to the United States, Ana Ivanović went to Switzerland, while I trained in Germany and Italy... Serbia is rife with young talents and we need to build the academy to keep them here.”
