2009 SU Update: Catering in the Universiade Village

May 16th, distinguished guests and media representatives sampled the menus that will be prepared for athletes in the Belgrade Universiade Village.

The biggest restaurant in the Balkans, with a seating capacity of over 1,500, will be serving 45,000 meals from four cuisines (national, vegetarian, halal and oriental) every day during the Games. The meals will be prepared by Holiday Inn Hotel, Del Aero Comerc Catering and associates and Belgrade Bakery “Klas”.

‘I am pleased that we managed to finish this project on time. That is why this promotion is important. Everything we saw and tasted at the promotion convinced us that our guests will be well fed and, therefore, well prepared to compete and achieve good results’, Universiade Belgrade 2009 OC President Nebojsa Ilic said.

Deputy Mayor of Belgrade, Radmila Hrustanovic said that Serbian capital is well known as a good host. ‘Last year we organized the Eurovision Song Contest for which we were widely praised. It was the same with numerous other events we organized. That is why Belgrade is looking forward to the Universiade Opening Ceremony. The Universiade is not just another sports event, but a chance for Belgrade to present itself, its citizens, its culture and history to the world’, according to the Deputy Mayor.

The president of the Volleyball Association of Serbia, Aleksandar Boricic, was delighted to witness the preparation of foods of different nutritive values and tastes.

‘As far as food is concerned, I am sure that not only volleyball players, but all the other athletes, will be satisfied. If one contrasts quantity versus quality, which we saw today, I can only say that the OC has done a very important job’, Aleksandar Boricic said.

All Universiade Belgrade 2009 operative teams are in their positions in the Universiade Village. After they moved into the new business premises, media representatives covering the preparations for this year’s biggest sports event were given the chance to visit the headquarters of the Universiade.

‘We visited the place where the Universiade organization takes place. The medical unit is impressive, but I hope it will be empty and that athletes will spend most of their time in the fields of play. The Universiade Belgrade 2009 team deserves praise for their work’, Aleksandar Boricic said.

In keeping with big sports event elsewhere, access to University Village during the Universiade will be restricted. Beside witnessing the process of food preparation and tasting it, media representatives were able to visit for the first times all three Universiade Village zones: residential, international and mixed zones.

‘In only 40 days the Village will receive its first guests. The biggest and the most important part of the job is finished three weeks before the deadline. We aspire to the highest standards and that is why we work around the clock so that our teams will achieve perfect coordination between 26 reception desks in as many apartment buildings’, Universiade Village Manager Ranko Tepavcevic said.

Universiade Belgrade 2009 OC President Nebojsa Ilic and PR Director Tamara Kostro