The post-flood rehabilitation works in Doboj’s main sports hall were completed last week, which will revive indoor sports activities in the city and restart gym classes for the students. The rehabilitation of the vast hall was conducted as part of the EU Floods Recovery Programme. The sports hall is  part of the Doboj’s High School Centre, where rehabilitation works on the school premises were completed already in mid-September to enable the classes to start.  The overall investment for the rehabilitation of the Centre totals  nearly 1.2 million EUR.

The sports hall has great significance for Doboj, which is known for its enthusiasm for sports. ”Doboj lives its sports life in this hall. This is where all major sporting events are hosted, from handball and volleyball matches to martial arts tournaments,” said Spasoje Vasiljević, Director of the High School Centre Doboj.

Thanks to the EU’s support, the sports hall has been fully refurbished with new flooring, new electrical and water installations as well as fitting of new carpentry to the grandstands and locker rooms.

The sports hall is also the home of the local handball club Sloga, which has won multiple championships in different competitions during its history. The sports hall is the birthplace of Sloga’s winning strategies, and this is where they train and host games. “This sports hall has played a crucial role in the development of handball in Doboj since the 1970s when the hall was originally built,” said Goran Stojić, member of Sloga’s Management Board. “The timing of the completion is simply perfect as it is getting a bit cold to train outside,” said Stojić.

Stojić also coordinates Sloga’s junior teams, who are looking to follow in their predecessors’ footsteps. Sloga’s junior players are full of excitement for being able to get back to action and to practice their skills. “We were all eagerly waiting for this moment, and we are happy that our training sessions can continue in the new hall,” said Mladen, one of the players.

The EU is investing more than 3.8 million EUR in the post-flood recovery of Doboj. “Due to the extent of damage Doboj suffered in the floods, the city has been placed high on the list of beneficiaries of the EU Floods Recovery Programme. Our assistance is focusing on rehabilitation of schools and kindergartens, health care facilities, private homes and local roads,“ said Andy McGuffie, Spokesperson of the EU Delegation to BiH and EU Special Representative’s Office.

The EU Flood Recovery Programme: The Programme was launched to restore normal living conditions in local communities and ensure that the aid reaches the most vulnerable ones in the aftermath of floods in May. Funds will be used to restore public services and infrastructure, reconstruct housing units for the most vulnerable ones, and for social and economic recovery of local communities. The value of the overall programme was 43.52 million, of which 42.24 million were provided by the European Union. The programme is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

For more information, visit the EU Floods Recovery Programme feature page