Veslački Klub Partizan ( sr, Веслачки Клуб Партизан) is a

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

from Belgrade. The club is part of the sports society

JSD Partizan Jugoslovensko sportsko društvo Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, Југословенско спортско друштво Партизан, lit=Yugoslav Sports Society Partizan), commonly abbreviated as JSD Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, ЈСД Партизан, link ...

, and is also a member of the Serbian Rowing Federation. The club's main headquarters are on the small island

Ada Ciganlija Ada Ciganlija ( sr-cyr, Ада Циганлија, ), colloquially shortened to Ada, is a river island that has artificially been turned into a peninsula, located in the Sava River's course through central Belgrade, Serbia. The name can also ref ...

History

The club was founded on July 5, 1951, by a group of young army officers and former rowers. The club was based on

, where it is to this day. The club's facilities were built by German prisoners of war. The facility, built from concrete, is often threatened by flooding, the worst case being in 1981 when the level of water inside reached . In 1986, at the suggestion of club president Danka Đunića, the administration of the club was professionalized, and former Serbian national team rowers and VKP members Nebojša Ilić and Dušan Kovačević were hired as coaches, and Mile Jokić as secretary. This represented a turning point in the history of the club. In the same year, above the space where the caretaker's apartment is located, a space was added in which the club offices are located. In 1990, Slobodan Stojiljković was hired as director of the club, after which VKP initiated a longterm renovation project. From 1990 to 2007, with the support of donors, sponsors, the community, and the supporters of JSD Partizan, a number of projects were completed, including: an embankment and drainage system; a new sewer system; a renovation of the office space, which have at times been used as offices for the rowing federations of

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

, Serbia, and Belgrade; a boat repair workshop; a new roof; steam heating; and a fitness and spa center known as "Masters Rowing Club Partizan." Thanks in part to these works, the club has been, since 1995, a highly successful elite rowing club. VKP athletes have won medals at the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

and the European Championships and competed at the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...

. VKP youth athletes have gone on to elite American university rowing programs, including the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, and the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

. VKP is the most successful rowing club in Serbia.

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Veslacki Klub Partizan Sport in Belgrade Sports clubs established in 1951 1951 establishments in Yugoslavia