FIVB World Championships Notebook - Day 3
The Mozzart Bet logo at the company's headquarters in Belgrade, Serbia.
What you need to know:
- Serbian junior army officers had their pass out on Saturday here in Belgrade.
- The occasion takes place once a year on a Saturday in September.
In Belgrade, Serbia
Mozzart Bet, biggest gaming firm in Serbia
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Mozzart Bet, the Malkia Strikers sponsors, is the biggest gaming firm in Serbia. Started in 2001 by two Serbian entrepreneurs, Mozzart Bet was housed at a pastry shop in Belgrade. The two Mozzart Bet founders actually approached the owners of the pastry shop to share the premises with them but slowly the gaming business grew and became the core business. Since the pastry shop was known as Mozzart after famous Austrian musician Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the Mozzart Bet founders opted to retain the name Mozzart after acquiring the pastry shop. Mozzart Bet has since grown to become the biggest betting firm in Serbia with branches in Ghana, Nigeria, Colombia, Croatia and Kenya. The two founders have however maintained their low profile despite the growth in fortune.
Yugos were the most common cars in Serbia in 80s
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Serbia used to manufacture their own cars known as Yugos in the 1980s which were the size of a Suzuki Alto. The cars were known as Yugos (after Yugolslavia) and could carry at least three passengers. They were relatively cheap and had a fair fuel consumption for the common Serb. However, the plant based in Kragujevac was shut down in the early 1990s and bought by manufacturers of Fiats which replaced the Yugos as the most common cars in Serbia.
Football is the biggest sport but ‘unsuccessful'
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Just like in Kenya, football is the most popular sport in Serbia. The top two football clubs are Red Star and Partizan Belgrade, who enjoy fanatical following in every part of the country. Water polo and basketball are however the most successful sports teams in Serbia with both national teams having won Olympic and world titles. Volleyball comes in fourth with their women’s team, the current world champions.
Army officers pass out done at National Assembly
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Serbian junior army officers had their pass out on Saturday here in Belgrade. The occasion takes place once a year on a Saturday in September. The new recruits were paraded in their hundreds before members of the National Assembly as the senior army officers carried out the military routine. Interestingly, the event doesn’t have to be graced by the President as is the case in Kenya provided members of the National Assembly are in attendance.
