At an official ceremony held in Skopje, the launch of the Plazma Sports Games for Youth in North Macedonia was formally announced. This is the largest amateur sports event in Europe, which for three decades has engaged children and young people in free sports activities.

With the signing of the sponsorship agreement with the international platform Sports Games for Youth, Pivara Skopje joins as a partner, with a clear objective: to support young people and promote a healthy and active lifestyle.

“It is a great pleasure to join forces with the Sports Games for Youth and open the opportunity for young people in North Macedonia to become part of this significant regional sports initiative.

This partnership is a natural extension of our long-standing commitment to youth and the community. We are sincerely proud to be part of an initiative that enables every child to participate free of charge and take their first steps in sports.

I believe that many of these young participants, who may be taking their first sports steps today, will become tomorrow’s champions – not only on the field, but in life as well,” said Ognen Lazić, General Manager of Pivara Skopje, at the official signing ceremony held at the Government of North Macedonia.

The Plazma Sports Games for Youth in North Macedonia are also supported by the general sponsor Bambi, part of the Coca-Cola HBC Group.

“For Plazma, the Sports Games for Youth have, for the past ten years, represented a natural continuation of what we stand for as a brand – childhood energy, movement, and togetherness. We are especially pleased that this year the Games are launching in North Macedonia, because every child who is given the opportunity to participate also spreads the important message that sport should be accessible to all,” stated Dragan Stajković, General Manager of Bambi a.d.

The Games also enjoy strong support from their ambassadors. The ceremony in Skopje was attended by renowned athletes including Predrag Mijatović, Slaven Bilić, Željko Obradović, and Šime Vrsaljko, as well as distinguished sports figures and officials: Predrag Danilović, Aljoša Asanović, Veselin Vujović, Igor Angelovski, Petar Metličić, Emir Spahić, Stipe Pletikosa, Vlado Androić, Nikola Vujčić, Goce Sedloski, Petar Krpan, Indira Kastratović, Pece Naumovski, and Tomica Glavčev.

The Sports Games for Youth in the country are implemented in cooperation with the Federation of School Sports of Macedonia and with the support of the Government of North Macedonia.

The event was also attended by the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickoski, who emphasized that “young people are our most important investment. I believe that participation in the Games will help create generations that will build and advance our country.”

The Minister of Sport, Borko Ristovski, added: “As an athlete, I know how much sport builds character. The Games promote fair play, unity, and health – values we want to nurture among all children.”

Among the distinguished guests were Gordan Grlić Radman, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia; Timčo Mucunski, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia; Magnus Brunner, European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration; Nives Tiganj, Ambassador of Croatia; Michalis Rokas, Ambassador of the European Union; and Zdravko Marić, President of the Plazma Sports Games for Youth.

The Plazma Sports Games for Youth were founded in Split in 1996. Since their inception, all activities for children have been completely free of charge, and over the past three decades more than 3,440,000 children and young people have participated.

As part of the Games in North Macedonia, competitions will be held in 10 sports disciplines, including five-a-side football, volleyball, handball, 3×3 basketball, tennis, and athletics. The events will take place from April to June 2026 across multiple cities, with active participation from schools and local communities. The best 240 participants will compete at the international finals in Split in August.