Cedevita Olimpija presents Zmajev nasmeh

Basketball Club Cedevita Olimpija is proud to present the socially responsible project Zmajev nasmeh (Dragon’s Smile), created with a simple purpose – to draw attention to important social issues throughout Slovenia and the wider region and to help solve social problems.

Cedevita Olimpija is the most recognizable Slovenian basketball club in Slovenia, and at the same time one of the most recognizable Slovenian sports teams in Europe and the world. The essence of KK Cedevita Olimpija is not only basketball, but also projects that the Ljubljana club can present and highlight on the basis of its recognizability.

Two values ​​that we at Cedevita Olimpija always emphasize are charity and giving back to the environment and the society to which we belong. With the growth of the Ljubljana collective in the field of sports and organization, the power that the Dragons can direct to charity and to draw attention to important issues that plague our society is also strengthening.

Years ago, #ZmajevoSrce started to beat in Ljubljana, and this January marks the beginning of Zmajev nasmeh. The basic purpose of the project is, through sports and especially basketball stories, to help vulnerable groups in society and restore hope to groups of people who may have lost it.

We are very proud to implement the Zmajev nasmeh project together with the Chain of Good People program, which takes place under the auspices of ZPM Ljubljana Moste-Polje and one of the strongest and most heartfelt people in Slovenia, a humanitarian who is dedicated to good deeds throughout her life – Anita Ogulin, President of ZPM Ljubljana Moste-Polje.

“When KK Cedevita Olimpija came to life in Ljubljana, we knew that we did not want to limit ourselves only to sports competitions and our participation in various competitions. Sport is the most beautiful tool for returning to the society in which we live, and through the stories we will present in the project Dragon’s Smile together with Anita Ogulin, we will always do everything to give hope to people together with our players, members of the professional staff and fans. , who may have been left without him at a certain point in their lives,” said Davor Užbinec, director of KK Cedevita Olimpija, at the presentation of the Dragon’s Smile project. “Dragon’s Smile is a project that will live on as long as KK Cedevita Olimpija lives on, and it’s time to roll up our sleeves and do our best to draw attention to the problems affecting each individual and offer him a hand in hopes of a better tomorrow.”

Anita Ogulin also pointed out her happiness at the creation of the Dragon’s Smile project and cooperation, with which we want to improve the lives of people who have found themselves in a crisis at a certain point.

“We are sincerely grateful that Dragon’s smile will make too many families across Slovenia happy, who have found themselves in real and severe existential hardships. Together we will support them and help them fight. For myself and my children. “

Basketball in the global and local space is focused on helping the environment in which he lives. KK Cedevita Olimpija wants to contribute additional energy and strength to create a better, sustainable society, with the help of players and members of the professional staff of the member team, and other actors within and around KK Cedevita Olimpija.

Every season, KK Cedevita Olimpija will also present the ambassador of the Dragon’s Smile project. In the 2020/21 season, it will be Mangok Mathiang, a 28-year-old and 208-centimeter-tall Australian with roots in South Sudan, who has already contributed to improving the future of healthcare professionals at the Ljubljana Pediatric Clinic this season. Together with the management team of the Ljubljana club, he is already forging new plans, and we all hope that Mangok will complete his rehabilitation as soon as possible after a serious leg injury, which he suffered just before the official start of the 2020/21 season. Until his return to the floor, Mangok will be active mainly as an ambassador of the Dragon’s Smile.

“I am honestly speechless. I remember when my mother once told me that you are blessed, when you too become a blessing to others, and that is the real message of social responsibility and charity. Every athlete has a responsibility to, when he or she reaches a certain point in his or her life, give back to the community and do everything to improve the lives of others. I want to live by this principle myself,” said Mangok at the presentation of the Dragon’s Smile project and the announcement of the project ambassador’s position in the 2020/21 season. “Charity is a big thing and it’s something we need, and here I don’t just mean Cedevita Olimpija, but sport as a whole. Society comes together and supports us, in moments of victory and moments of failure, and that’s the way we can give back to the people who support us, no matter what. Let’s be aware that we have to get through all the problems together, and only in this way, we will succeed. “

KK Cedevita Olimpija is already preparing activities that will be part of the Dragon’s Smile project, and one of them will come to life in the coming weeks, so follow our website and all our social networks regularly.