Jahorina 2021

D I P L O M AC Y &

C O M M E RC E

P R E S E N T S

JAHORINA SPECIAL EDITION

LOVE AS THE KEY TO SUCCESS

JAHORINA

INTRO

OLYMPIC QUEEN OF WINTER SPORTS

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ahorina welcomes the new winter as a state-of-the-art ski centre in this part of Europe. The new Poljica gondola, first of its kind in this area, which was designed by the Italian company Pininfarina, is the most significant investment in a series of novelties. With an increased capacity to 3,600 skiers per hour, light effects and a warm link that connects it to the Olympic Bar, the gondola is available both for day and night skiing, as well as for panoramic sightseeing. Two brand new six-seater lifts and two new ski lifts complete the offer of this ski centre of a total of 24 ski slopes with a length of 47km connected into a single unit with 16 vertical transport installations and a total capacity of 28,800 skiers per hour. In addition to 47km of perfectly prepared alpine ski slopes, Jahorina has 10km of Nordic skiing slopes that correspond to the highest global standards.

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INTERVIEW

LOVE AS THE KEY TO BUSINESS SUCCESS DEJAN LJEVNAIĆ Director of Jahorina OC

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DESTINATION FOR EVERYBODY

WINTER

MORE THAN JUST SKIING

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TOURISM

SUMMER

MOUNTAIN FOR ALL SEASONS

TRADITION

OLYMPIC QUEEN

15 Photos: Marija Nišić, Jadran Ćilić and Aleksandar Arsenović

EVENTS

FUN AND SPORTS IN ONE PLACE SPECIAL EDITION

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INTERVIEW

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LOVE AS THE KEY TO BUSINESS SUCCESS

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Before I was appointed the director of the Jahorina Olympic Centre, I had worked for ten years on the development of ski centres in Serbia, where I learned the trade, so to speak.

Together with my team, I adapted and implemented the experience gained on Jahorina, and now we are proud of the fact that we are managing the most modern ski centre in the wider region DEJAN LJEVNAIĆ Director of Jahorina OC

he director of the Jahorina Olympic Centre, Dejan Ljevnaić, a skier and visionary, is the recipient of the top European award - Jubilee Golden Plaque for Lifetime Achievement – and should be credited with making the Jahorina ski resort flourish. He managed to 'awaken' the Olympic mountain of Jahorina and position it on the map of European ski centres. Mr Ljevnaić also made a huge contribution to the development of the tourism business in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the region and Europe, and worked on developing friendship and cooperation in order to connect people and countries based on respect. In an interview for Diplomacy&Commerce, he told us what it was like to create the future of skiing in the Balkans and how a ski trip took him to faraway China.

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ALTHOUGH WE ARE IMPLEMENTING MANY LARGE-SCALE PROJECTS ON JAHORINA, OUR BASIC MOTIVE AND GOAL ARE TO ENCOURAGE CHILDREN TO LOVE NATURE AND MAKE ADULTS RETURN TO NATURE, BECAUSE NATURE IS THE ONLY INEXHAUSTIBLE SOURCE OF POSITIVE ENERGY Where and when was your love for skiing born, which you have successfully transformed into successes and great achievements in the last 15 years?

— It all started in Rijeka, the city where I was born and lived for some time. After Rijeka, I moved to Belgrade where I continued my studies and where I got involved in the ski business and managed the ski resorts of Kopaonik, all the way to Jahorina. I learned how to ski on Platak where I made my first tentative steps in the snow. I remember that we went to

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Platak with the Vladimir Gortan Elementary School. It was on Platak that my great love and passion for mountains and skiing was born. Over time, I turned that love into a job that I make a living from and that I truly enjoy.

Before I was appointed the director of the Jahorina Olympic Centre, I had worked for ten years on the development of ski centres in Serbia, where I learned the trade, so to speak.

Together with my team, I adapted and implemented the experience gained on Jahorina, and now we are proud of the fact that we are managing the most modern ski centre in the wider region.

Of course, we have invested a lot in know-how and in our engineers because, after all, this is a peculiar activity that not many people do and are knowledgeable about. On the Kopaonik Mountain in Serbia, we built over 17 new ski lifts, we also built the entire Stara Planina ski centre, as well as the Tornik ski resort on Zlatibor and the Divčibare ski centre. We also worked on restoring the Brezovica ski resort.

We are currently working in the entire region – on the Popova Šapka in North Macedonia and in almost all ski centres in Montenegro (from Mavrovo, Žabljak and Kolašin to Cmiljača and Mojkovac). We also worked on the Bjelašnica in Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Sljeme in Croatia and almost all ski resorts in Slovenia.

Jahorina is currently a construction hub and you are building more than during the Olympics. A little over 4 years ago, you were appointed the director of the Jahorina Olympic Centre. Have you accomplished at least half of your plans so far?

— We have done a lot – on average 20 concurrent projects per year. We did a lot of hard work, had many sleepless nights, but have also successfully implemented projects that are

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now managed well. I can say that we have done even more than planned. Jahorina has experienced its complete rebirth.

Although, there is still room for improvement and I know that things can always be better. We have an abundance of ideas and with the help of our government and our supervisory board, success is guaranteed. We all function as one team and we do everything for the benefit of Jahorina and future generations that will benefit greatly from this project. We can already see the benefits in practice.

You are active on social media to promote skiing and spending time in nature.

— Although we are implementing many large-scale projects on Jahorina, our basic motive and goal are to encourage children to love nature and make adults return to nature, because nature is the only inexhaustible source of positive energy. I created social media pages with the goal to show all the natural attractions that I see here every day and to try to motivate people to spend as much time as possible outdoors and in nature.

I came up with the idea to create pages on social networks, and to use this medium, which currently has a huge impact on children and youth, to promote healthy habits, as well as to present the huge natural potential we have, but for educational purposes. Furthermore, I want to create a small encyclopedia about skiing. We have successfully realized the ’Be a child of Jahorina’ campaign and I must say that the interest exceeded all our expectations. Over 2,000 children applied and I am very happy to see this great interest.

Thanks to the years spent in the ski business and a lot of time and effort invested in acquiring knowledge, during your career you were involved in the construction of many ski centres throughout Europe. Is it true that you have now expanded your activities to the Chinese market?

— Now, after 15 years of work, and amassing knowledge and experience in the world of ski tourism, I am involved in the Winter Olympics in China, where, together with my partners, I am designing ski slopes, planning and building snowmaking systems and educating and training Chinese skiers.

My cooperation with China began four years ago. Namely, as a bourgeois sport, skiing has not been popular among the Chinese throughout history. However, when they won the bid to hold the Olympics, i.e. when it was announced that Beijing would host the Winter Olympic Games, China decided that they must build ski resorts, have 200 million skiers and encourage the population to practise this sport by 2022. In the run-up to the Games, 47 ski resorts are currently being built in China, and in addition to infrastructure, they are investing heavily in the development and promotion of skiing as a sport, with their athletes training around the world. Some are also training on Jahorina and Bjelašnica. Until now, China did not have an artificial snow system, nor cable cars. Now, they are building a complete infrastruc-

WE HAVE DONE A LOT – ON AVERAGE 20 CONCURRENT PROJECTS PER YEAR. WE DID A LOT OF HARD WORK, HAD MANY SLEEPLESS NIGHTS, BUT HAVE ALSO SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTED PROJECTS THAT ARE NOW MANAGED WELL ture, which is a big thing for them and for the development of skiing in the country which is the largest market in the world due to the sheer size of its population.

Skiing is developing rapidly in China, and in addition to the Chinese investing heavily in ski infrastructure, they are also investing in the training of professional skiers. Thus, two years ago, more than 150 skiers were accommodated on Jahorina and Bjelašnica, where they trained and prepared for the Olympic Games. They were extremely satisfied with the conditions and expressed their desire to visit Jahorina again. This visit allowed us to present our new investments, which have now been successfully implemented.

ONE OF THE GREATEST RECOGNITIONS You have received many awards during your career and very few people know that you are a member of the prestigious Shanghai Ski Club?

- One of my biggest accolades is being nominated for a member of the Shanghai Ski Club which was founded ahead of the Winter Olympics to connect the Alps and China. I am now the club member, along with some of the biggest names in the ski world such as Erich Gummerer, owner of

TechnoAlpin, who invented and launched the artificial snow system, Austrian Olympic skiers such as Hermann Maier and Marc Girardelli and Michael Doppelmayr, owner of the largest cable car manufacturing company in the world. It is a great honour to find myself in this environment and I am happy because my work and achievements are recognized and appreciated in the world.

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TOURISM

DESTINATION FOR EVERYBODY If you want to go skiing, have fun or escape the summer heat, Jahorina is the right place for you. This mountain has activities for all generations and numerous accommodation facilities for travellers from all over the world ahorina is a must-see destination on the itinerary of snow and winter sports fans from every corner of the world. Up to 265,000 skiers visit the mountain during the winter season. In addition to domestic tourists, the largest number of foreign visitors come from Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia, but also from countries such as Turkey, China, Hungary, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Austria, Italy, and even Russia, Singapore and Great Britain.

This mountain is suitable for absolutely every age, but it is mostly considered an ideal place for family winter vacations.

Most of our visitors are from ages 15 to 45, small children and seniors, who are very happy to spend their late working and retirement days in the fresh air and snow.

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Jahorina has ample accommodation, both hotel and private, which can comfortably take a quarter of a million visitors during each season in facilities that are exactly to their taste.

With the highest peak Ogorjelica standing at 1,916m altitude, this powerful mountain, part of the Dinaric mountain range, is located at the junction of cold continental and warm Mediterranean climate. Such a climate is conducive to large amounts of snowfall, so the average number of snowy days stands at over 145, and the height of the snow can go up to 5m. The ten-year average snow heigh in February is 106cm. The snow here starts falling in October and melts around May. During the summer, this mighty mountain has a very favourable climate with beautiful spring and summer, during which it is covered with green grass and various plants and trees, including beech, fir, spruce, maple and large vast pastures and meadows. Such a climate provides excellent conditions for athletes getting ready for competitions, and for guests suffering from respiratory diseases, as well as for anybody who wants to enjoy the magnificent, unspoiled nature and the intoxicating scent of the forest and its fruits.

Jahorina also offers a variety of activities for visitors who are not that fond of skiing. This ski centre is known for providing good fun, and hosting concerts of the biggest regional music stars, music festivals and performances. Jahorina is known for its good entertainment and hospitable approach to guests, excellent gastronomic and wellness offer. The mountain leaves nobody indifferent and most of the visitors come back, enchanted with everything that Jahorina has to offer.

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OLYMPIC BAR Olympic Bar is located at the very top of Jahorina and has a great view of the large lake and the surrounding mountains. Warmly tucked away, spanning 700 square metres, the Olympic Bar is a mountain spot with the best gastronomic offer. By pushing the boundaries of enjoyment, you can satisfy all your senses with excellent food made from locally sourced ingredients and a top-notch offer of drinks, refreshments and alcoholic beverages. You can reach the bar via a special warm tunnel from the new gondola, where friendly staff awaits you.

In the evening, the bar is the best place to spend time at, since you feel as you are on top of the world. Watching the mountain at night, which exudes strength and peace, is very a special feeling, as is riding on a gondola or a powerful snow grooming machine. Get ready to create new unforgettable memories!

RIDING ON A SNOW GROOMING MACHINE AND IN A VIP GONDOLA CABIN Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy a ride on a snow grooming machine and feel the magic of the mountain at night. Choose an unforgettable ride to the top of the mountain from starting at Poljica, from 5 pm to 9 pm, or book a private ride lasting 20 minutes via email skipass@oc-jahorina.com .

If you decide to use one of the VIP cabins on the Poljica gondola or the Partizan gondola, you will create very special memories. Enjoy a romantic ride for two or celebrate a significant event with your friends or family, comfortably tucked away during this glamorous ride while enjoying complimentary mountain specialities and champagne.

CUISINE Clean air and physical activity will work your appetite, and the traditional cuisine found on Jahorina is ideal for satisfying your hunger. The homemade specialities here are turkey with kajmak (clotted cream cheese), proja (cornbread) and beef or bacon stew. The homemade pie that is prepared at the Olympic Bar is something is unique and prepared in a way that our mothers and grandmothers used to make them.

Every day, the cooks on Jahorina prepare homemade pie for their guests, for that warm and homely feeling.

Donuts with homemade kajmak, Jahorina cutlet and pork chop with cabbage are dishes that almost no one can resist, which a made with extra love in the unique ambience. You have to tray homemade baklava and pancakes, as the sweetest ending to every meal.

SOUVENIR SHOP At the top of Jahorina, at the very entrance to the Olympic Bar, there is a conceptual souvenir shop whose ambience and products are perfectly synchronized with Jahorina's tourist offer, which is based on local tradition and heritage.

Souvenirs are a special part of the tourist offer that emotionally connects the visitor to the place and reminds them of the time spent here. Souvenirs are ambassadors of tourism, an object that creates memories and very often we buy it intending to give it to someone we love or want to cheer up or we buy it as a reminder of our stay at a certain place.

TRANSPORT Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is also the nearest large city. You can get to Jahorina from Sarajevo airport in two ways. The first leads through East Sarajevo (31km long road) and the second through Pale (37km long road). Jahorina is 210km away from Banja Luka, 540km from Ljubljana, 260km from Podgorica, 400km from Zagreb and 320km from Belgrade.

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WINTER

MORE THAN JUST SKIING With almost 50 kilometres of different ski trails, Jahorina is a real oasis for ski lovers. Moreover, the mountain provides an opportunity to indulge in other winter sports, but also to have fun, relax and enjoy a variety of activities

ahorina has a total of 24 ski trails that are 47km long and connected into a single unit with 16 vertical transport installations of a total capacity of 28,800 skiers per hour. In addition to 47km of ideally prepared alpine ski trails, Jahorina has a total of 10km of Nordic skiing trails, built in line with the highest global standards.

The Poljica gondola, designed by the Italian company Pininfarina, attracts the most attention. With its increased capacity to 3,600 skiers per hour, light effects and a warm connection, the gondola is available for skiing during day or night, as well as for panoramic sightseeing.

Professional skiers choose Jahorina as an ideal destination for training for competitions, while as many as 11 homologated ski trails can be adapted to any of the largest worldclass competitions. This is the only mountain in the world

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THE ICONIC SKI SLOPE, OLYMPIC DOWNHILL, IS AGAIN AVAILABLE FOR SKIING AND BREAKING OLYMPIC SKI RECORDS AFTER MORE THAN 30 YEARS that has the privilege of one of its slopes being named after the most famous tennis player in the world, Novak Djoković.

Jahorina also has a total of 5km of slopes suitable for skiing at night. The iconic ski slope, Olympic Downhill, is again available for skiing and breaking Olympic ski records after more than 30 years.

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While experienced skiers usually choose the black runs to get their adrenaline pumping, beginners have at their disposal three modernly equipped ski slopes. With professional ski instructors and the Olympic Centre snowboarding school, skiing and snowboarding will become your favourite sports in no time. Soon, you will be able to conquer even the black runs. Also, skiers can choose to ski on blue runs which are suitable for beginners or red runs, which are of medium difficulty.

The instructors from the Olympic Centre ski school teach future skiers or boarders in an interesting and exciting way, regardless of where they come from and what language they speak, with the view of amplifying the impressions these guests will take from their stay at the Olympic mountain. For this season, they have also prepared new training methods and various fast UPS courses which are available throughout the mountain. In addition to training absolute beginners, the Olympic Centre team is more than willing to share their skills with experienced skiers, in order to improve their skiing prowess.

Of course, there are special programmes for the youngest future skiers, which are learning to ski on a specially designed slope at the beginning of the Poljice trail. There is also a ski kindergarten in the Paradise Valley (Rajska Dolina) and the Trnovo kindergarten. Ski kindergartens have conveyor belts, a tubing track and fun props for the youngest skiers on which they can make their first ski steps and have endless fun on the snow.

Current tourist and recreational activities are suitable for

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NIGHT SKIING When the sun goes down, the re-arranged ski slopes are illuminated by special lights. Don’t miss this opportunity to indulge in night skiing while soaking in the great view of the mountain at night. Enjoy a night gondola ride and ski on as many as 5km of ski slopes. For the first time this winter season, skiers have at their disposal two cabin gondolas - Poljice and Partizan – that have lights installed in line with the FIS standards. The most popular new slope on Jahorina, named after the best tennis player in the world, Novak Djoković, is now fully lit.

all ages, but primarily for the younger population. There is also a specialized slope for tubing on a plastic surface. Both tubing trails are 10m long and are located in Poljice. There is also a 70m tubing trail in Rajska Dolina and a 150m-long tubing trail near the Trnovo kindergarten. Tubing is a great, year-round, adrenaline-packed activity.

Just as skiers have preferences when it comes to the slopes, they also have preferences when it comes to vertical transport, and the choice on Jahorina is really great. Visitors can choose a gondola, a six-seater or a ski lift anchor, while ski carpet is perfect for those skiers who are not too confident on their skies. A total of 16 ski lifts and gondolas can carry around 28,800 skiers every hour.

NEW GONDOLAS AND SKI LIFTS The Paradise Valley six-seater is located in the upper part of the mountain, i.e. in the eponymous valley. This six-seater can take up to 2,400 skiers per hour, which reduces crowding while skiers enjoy skiing in the most fabulous part of Jahorina.

The Trnovo six-seater also has a capacity of 2,400 skiers per hour and is located in the Trnovo resort. This part of Jahorina also has new ski slopes that will be covered in snow produced by the latest snowmaking system, but also a ski kindergarten with a conveyor belt and fun props for the little ones.

The most beautiful part of Jahorina, the famous Paradise Valley, also has two more ski lifts, called Javor and Spust, which transport skiers to the Spust slope, the place where the Olympic competition was held in 1984. The capacity of these two lifts is 1,950 skiers per hour.

THANKS TO THE SNOWMAKING MACHINE, THE JAHORINA OLYMPIC CENTRE WAS THE FIRST IN EUROPE TO OPEN A SKIING SEASON LAST YEAR

SNOWMAKING MACHINE FOR SAFE SKIING The area that the existing snowmaking machine on Jahorina covers has now been extended by 7km, which in turn, has increased the number of snow-covered slopes by almost 50 per cent. The first big change that the new management made was upgrading the ski slopes and investing in the snowmaking machine, knowing how important is for safety to have a reliable snowmaker.

Thanks to the snowmaking machine, the Jahorina Olympic Centre was the first in Europe to open a skiing season last year. At the moment, it is impossible to imagine a modern ski centre not having a snowmaking machine. Thanks to its cooperation with renowned companies, Jahorina also boasts the latest TechnoAlpin snowmaking system that covers 80 per cent of the Jahorina ski resort.

DON'T FORGET Skiing is not the only fun winter activity. Many restaurants and bars, concerts and shows will round off your stay on Jahorina.

The gondola creates a great atmosphere for everyone, while local gastronomic flavours, champagne and views of the mountain peaks add to the enjoyment.

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SUMMER

MOUNTAIN FOR ALL SEASONS At the end of the winter season, when the snow melts and with the first days of spring, nature begins to wake up, and the Jahorina Mountain turns into an increasingly pleasant location for a long-term stay. Jahorina abounds in unspoiled nature, coniferous forests, mountain springs, wild horses, mountain trails and numerous types of herbs and berries n times of extreme heat, many guests find moments of leisure in the activities that Jahorina offers: walks on marked mountain trails, cycling, mountain biking, panoramic views of mountain peaks, quad rides and activities for children. The mountain is especially popular with athletes for altitude training. Jahorina is for everyone and everyone's taste. Thanks to its abundant offer, it offers visitors leisure and relaxation for all the senses 365 days a year.

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JAHORINA IS FOR EVERYONE AND EVERYONE'S TASTE. THANKS TO ITS ABUNDANT OFFER, IT OFFERS VISITORS LEISURE AND RELAXATION FOR ALL THE SENSES 365 DAYS A YEAR 12

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The marked mountain trails are suitable for all fans of easy mountain walks and families, while some of the trails are intended for hikers who like a more demanding terrain and mountain biking. Choose one of the trails that suit your preferences and let the Jahorina adventure begin.

'The Love Trail' is the shortest and simplest trail, next to which there is a new outdoor gym with a rest area, as well as a football pitch with natural grass, basketball and volleyball courts. The sports and recreational trail is the longest trail here. It goes up and down the Olympic Mountain and its length stands at 13km, from the very foot to the highest peak of Ogorjelica, at 1,916m altitude. In addition, there is also the Olympic Trail, on which you will see diverse and authentic mountain cottages and facilities, as well as the Health Trail, which passes through dense forest landscapes.

'The Bicycle Descent' trail starts from the top of the mountain, which you can reach during the summer season by a six-seater cable car Poljica while enjoying a panoramic view of the mountain. The unspoiled nature and bicycle paths of Jahorina will delight every adrenaline junkie and fan of this type of extreme sport.

There is also the possibility to explore the mountain on quads, which you can drive through forest meadows and down the Jahorina slopes. Experience Jahorina in a different way, enjoy unreal landscapes, an unforgettable sunset and don't forget to take memorable photos!

If you want total relaxation and an escape from everyday life, take a walk through Jahorina in spring and summer and enjoy all its beauties. Add to this picking the medicinal herbs that this mountain abounds in, especially in fields of thyme, yarrow, mint and St. John's wort. Experience an abundance of scents and a multitude of colours of

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wildflowers. In addition to medicinal herbs, the mountain is rich in blueberries, cranberries and wild strawberries, which ripen in early August.

If you want to relax after an activity-packed day, you can go to one of the wellness centres with swimming pools, saunas, steam baths and massage parlours.

THE BIGGEST SUMMER ATTRACTIONS Jahorina has the longest summer toboggan (a type of bobsled on rails) in the region, which is also the biggest summer attraction here. The toboggan is 2.5km long, reaches a speed of 40km/h and is one of the 10 largest toboggans in all of Europe. This Alpine rollercoaster departs from a large lake at the top of the mountain and the Olympic Bar, which is located in the most beautiful spot on Jahorina, from where you can enjoy magnificent views of the mountain’s attractions. The lake has new walking paths, benches, a summer house and horse feeders.

Go on a ride on the Poljice gondola and experience Jahorina from another angle. Admire the landscape adorned with maple forests and embrace the whole mountain. Modernly designed gondola cabins have bicycle holders so you can take your bike all the way to the top of Jahorina and enjoy a downward adrenaline ride.

The X Racer provides a unique mountain driving experience. Its excellent design and uniqueness won it the German Design Award in 2017. It is intended for both children and adults, so they can experience an unforgettable ride down the marked trail in Poljice.

If you miss the snow, you can indulge in summer sledding. Tubing was created primarily for children entertainment, but adults can also enjoy it too. The trail is about 100m long. It has a plastic surface on which you put a specialized tire that you slide down on.

tain guests with an unreal view. The ZipLine will take you high up and all the way across a large lake.

Skydive is located near the artificial snow lake, at the top of Poljica, which is also the most attractive location on the mountain. An unusual ride over the lake provides a unique adrenaline experience, a panoramic view of the Jahorina peaks and a flight across the sky above the Olympic mountain.

Our summer offer is rounded off with the new adventure park and NauticJet and Butterfly attractions.

JAHORINA CREATES SUCCESSFUL ATHLETES Sports camps on Jahorina are ideal places for athletes preparing themselves for the upcoming competition seasons. Many famous sports teams have been coming here for years. Jahorina has an exceptional position and natural ambience for altitude training, but also a good accommodation for athletes and ideal altitude. The Jahorina Olympic Centre has an outdoor football pitch, basketball courts, a large number of hotels with swimming pools, the Wellness and Spa centre, and running, cycling and hiking trails.

FOR ADRENALINE JUNKIES The Tower is located on the Poljice plateau. You can climb this 9-metre-tall structure by gently pulling yourself up the rope. Once you get to the top, you can enjoy the panoramic view of the phenomenal mountain areas.

The Loopster is also located on the Poljice plateau and gives children, teenagers and adults fun rides and quite a unique experience.

ZipLine is a new adrenaline-packed activity, located at the top of Jahorina. This 250m long zip line is stretched across the most attractive part of Jahorina and provides the moun-

GOLD MEDAL As part of their preparation for the World Cup that took place in June 2018, the Serbian women’s volleyball team stayed on Jahorina. This year, they won a gold medal at the World Championship in Japan and proved that hard work and a stay on the Olympic Beauty yielded top results.

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TRADITION

OLYMPIC QUEEN The skiing tradition on Jahorina is almost a century old. It all started with the enthusiasm shown by a bunch of ski lovers, which will later result in building slopes and installing cable cars in line with the latest global standards. The Snow Queen, the term affectionately used for the Jahorina Mountain, was the host of the Winter Olympic Games, and by doing so, made history ack in 1984, Jahorina was one of the stages of the 14th Winter Olympic Games held in Sarajevo in February of that year. This event, showcasing youth and sports, made the history of the Olympic movement not only because of many Olympic records but also by the number of registered national teams, of which there were 49. A record number of participants (athletes and their companions), over 2,500 of them, came to Sarajevo.

The most famous skiers competed on the Jahorina slopes.

That year, Jahorina was a symbol of friendship and peace, a mountain that promoted all religions, cultures and traditions, which it does to this day. Its rich history that is nurtured and promoted, and the latest ski infrastructure, has placed this Olympic mountain at the very top of ski destinations in the wider region.

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BACK IN 1984, JAHORINA WAS ONE OF THE STAGES OF THE 14TH WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES HELD IN SARAJEVO IN FEBRUARY OF THAT YEAR. JAHORINA WAS A SYMBOL OF FRIENDSHIP AND PEACE, A MOUNTAIN THAT PROMOTED ALL RELIGIONS, CULTURES AND TRADITIONS, WHICH IT DOES TO THIS DAY The first cable car on Jahorina was opened in 1952. It starts near the Jahorina Hotel, at 1,660m altitude, and stretches to the top (1,885m) on Gola Jahorina. The length of the cable car is 1,050m, it’s a single-seater with 102 seats and a capacity of 360 passengers per hour. The ride from the depar-

ture station to the top takes 8 minutes. In the next two decades, two more cable cars were opened, and in 1972, a ski lift in the Paradise Valley (Rajska Dolina).

In 1971, the slopes, facilities and cable cars on Jahorina were upgraded to resemble the top international ski resorts, to make Jahorina a real winter sports and recreation hub. In mid-January 1971, the snow compactor arrived in Jahorina which upped the quality of the mountain’s snowy terrains.

In the 1970s, the ski trails on Jahorina were verified by the International Ski Federation (FIS), namely the 3,500m downhill slope, which starts at 887m altitude. Every season, four important competitions are held on Jahorina, with an average of 100 competitors. Jahorina was the host of the European and World Youth Criteria skiing competition, which at that time, was a great promotion for the mountain.

In 1933, the first independent ski organization called Ski Club Sarajevo was founded in Sarajevo, to accommodate the Yugoslav military and members of their families, as well as reserve military officers, who were interested in improving their skiing skills. The Jahorina Ski Club was founded in 1950 at the Yugoslav Military House in Sarajevo, which is credited with building the first ski lift.

However, Jahorina validated its quality in 2019, when the European Youth Winter Olympics Festival (EYOF) was held.

This was the largest and most important sporting event in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Winter Olympics. During February of that year, Alpine skiers, both boys and girls, competed on Jahorina, following in the footsteps of the 1984 Olympians.

SIGNIFICANT INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS HELD ON JAHORINA • 1957 – 3rd Youth Championship of Alpine countries • 1 974 – 3rd European Youth Criterion competition and the World Downhill Championship • 1 975 - European Cup for men, as well as the World Championship for women, called The Golden Fox. The competition was held on Jahorina because

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there was no snow on the Pohorje Mountain (Slovenia) that year.

• 1 977 - the European Cup competition on Jahorina was included in the FIS official event calendar • 1 984 – 24th Winter Olympics •2 019 - EYOF - European Youth Olympic Winter Festival

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EVENTS

FUN AND SPORTS IN ONE PLACE Jahorina offers a multitude of events, entertainment, concerts, sports competitions, delicious and varied food, as well as the perfect environment for team building that will make your team better, stronger and more efficient he new winter season brings a lot of good time and fun. The first weekend of December is reserved for the Gala Ski Opening, when visitors can enjoy not only skiing and concerts by the most popular regional performers, but also the best kebabs in the region, be they the Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Leskovac, Travnik or vegetarian ones.

The Opening Gala is followed by two weekends of a music spectacle called the Balkan Music Festival. In two weekends, four days to be exact, four big concerts are waiting for you, something for everyone, thematically arranged, with 18 most popular regional performers.

For the New Year's Eve celebrations, the Jahorina Olympic Centre is organizing a special welcome on skis. The night ski slopes will be open to everybody who wants to see off the old and welcome the new year 2022 in a different and unforgettable way. Do not miss the unique opportunity to ski on New Year's Eve on the illuminated trails of Jahorina, and warm up with mulled wine at the Olympic bar.

This winter, the first Sky Snow competition will be held.

It is a new world discipline - running on beaten ski trails. In February, over 200 competitors from several countries will gather on Jahorina on this occasion. The route is over 15 kilometres long, and at 1,100 meters of ascent, these are the steepest trails, including the women's Olympic downhill track.

The Jahorina Ultra Trail is one of the most recognizable events that take place on the mountain. On July 23 and 24, 2022, Jahorina will be the Ultra Trail host for the third consecutive time. The Jahorina Ultra Trail is a large-scale event, but come July next year, it will take on an additional, bigger dimension, because for the first time, the race will connect mountains, cities and even countries, in this case Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. The longest ULTRA race is 120km and it starts in the famous Drvengrad, on Mokra Gora.

As part of this event, there will be a competition held on

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three more tracks of different lengths, called MAXI, MIDI and MINI, suitable for runners of all fitness levels - from recreational competitors to professionals. MINI track is a short race that is adapted to recreationists and families who like to spend quality time together, in nature and sports, and it starts and ends at the top of Jahorina. All races have been verified and runners can win qualifying points for the World Cup in ultra trail running.

The 2021 World Gran Fondo Championship was recently held in Jahorina. The very fact that competitors and cyclists from all over the world gathered on this mountain is of great importance for the promotion of this destination. Also, various professional congresses, film festivals and many other events are held here.

JAHORINA ULTRA TRAIL IS A LARGE-SCALE EVENT, BUT COME JULY NEXT YEAR, IT WILL TAKE ON AN ADDITIONAL, BIGGER DIMENSION, BECAUSE FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE RACE WILL CONNECT MOUNTAINS, CITIES AND EVEN COUNTRIES

TEAM BUILDING FOR A STRONGER TEAM Build up your team, get closer to your colleagues, have fun and create beautiful memories… If you partake in team building activities with your colleagues, you are guaranteed to become more efficient in work, a better com-

municator, have more self-confidence and get rid of stress. With nature and the Olympic spirit that we cultivate on the Jahorina in mind, we will ensure that socializing with your employees turns into an unforgettable experience.

SPECIAL EDITION

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