Over 50 million BAM were spent on ATP 250 tennis tournament

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Over 50 million BAM were spent on ATP 250 tennis tournament

The ATP 250 tennis tournament was arranged by Banja Luka as an extremely-expensive project for which more than 50 million BAM were spent. Construction of facilities without documentation, tender procedure, for seven days of games. Tens of thousands of tourists flocked to Banja Luka last week during the ATP 250 tennis tournament. Tens of millions of BAMwere spent on the construction of the infrastructure, including the construction of the central court, where the world's first racket player, Novak Djokovic, played. A great advertisement for Banja Luka, but the tournament was overshadowed by controversies regarding the construction of the facilities, which even the organizers did not believe in.

We tried to contact all possible largest construction companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina BiH and beyond, he said. The president of the Republika Srpska RS Tennis Association, Drasko Milinovic, said during construction of the tennis complex that everyone refused, stressing that it did not leave them much room for maneuver. We moved on, he said.

Although the exact figure is not known, it is believed that slightly more than 50 million BAM were spent on the tournament and infrastructure. The expenses were borne by the government of Banja Luka and the city of Banja Luka. Drasko Stanivukovic, the mayor of Banja Luka, often placed the importance of this tournament for both Banja Luka and the RS ahead of respecting all procedures.

We bravely accepted such a challenge. It took courage to recognize it right from the beginning. This is probably the biggest event, probably even in the history of RS, said Stanivukovic.

The system can do everything.

Sinisa Vukelic, the editor of Capital's business portal, said that the construction of tennis courts was declared to be of the highest national interest, under which a number of laws were violated.

Serbian tennis player Dusan Lajoviclifted the trophy, and organizers hope that despite all the problems, the tournament will be returned next year in Banja Luka. BH Radio 1 journalist Nenad Markovic, who followed all the matches of the tournament, says there is no doubt that the tournament was excellent for Banja Luka and RS.

A decision is awaited as to whether there are any chances of the ATP 250 tournament taking place in Banja Luka next year. It will certainly not be a shortage of money, and how difficult it will be in the negotiation process, which will be known in October, depending on the supervisor's ratings during the Banja Luka tournament. In sports, victory is imposed as an imperative, DW reports.