WEBVTT

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As a small nation, our athletes
reach for the top

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in incredible numbers and
with outstanding results.

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There is almost no weekend
when we don't hear

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of yet another win
or another medal.

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But it's no coincidence that we're
a nation of outstanding sporting

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achievements. As a country,
we have invested heavily

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over the past decades into
policies that stimulate

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physical education from
as early as kindergarten.

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This continues throughout
the education process,

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and as our Education Minister
will tell you more about it,

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as well as further
into our adult lives.

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We have also invested into
sports infrastructure,

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from school gyms to venues
that can host high-class

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international competitions.

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All this results in us
being very sporty as a nation

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and having some of
the best-performing athletes

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in the world. Together, we're
incredible fans,

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and the great outdoors
are the foundation

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of our sports
success story.

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We have highlighted this
during our recent EU presidency

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and have introduced the notion
of a life-long movement

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as a European policy through
the European Sports Model.

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It is a fact that Slovenia is
a country of extraordinary athletes.

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On many occasions, we got
the question: "How is it possible

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that a small country like Slovenia,
with a population of two million,

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can generate or produce
so much

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sporting talent
in different sports?"

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Well, I can tell you it's not
a coincidence, and I believe

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it's a consequence
of a well-organized

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educational system.

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These sporting achievements,
the excellent results

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of our athletes, make us proud,
and I always say that our athletes

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are the best ambassadors of Slovenia
on the international level.

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We were extremely pleased
that the three hosting nations

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and organizations of the European
handball family gave us a chance

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to organize this fantastic
tournament.

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Of course, it was not easy
at the beginning,

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and there were a lot of challenges.
However, with the cooperation

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and the huge support of the EHF,
we are about to finish,

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to manage this tournament
in a very efficient way.

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With regard to our organizational
team, we said,

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Let's focus on two items,
on two pillars.

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First, sustainability,
and second, women's empowerment.

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I'm very happy that we're doing
a great job in this regard.

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For example, with regard
to women's empowerment,

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we managed to invite 16
extraordinary lady ambassadors

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of European and Slovenian handball,
who come from different business

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environments, art, politics,
and so on,

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and are making a better world.
-And from there, it's easy to create

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champions like Luka Dončić.
I wouldn't mention myself,

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but there are so many athletes
who are great in Slovenia.

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We have a big base of great
sportspeople in general.

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And from there, you can really
create diamonds.

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We are like...

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a motor that needs to be...

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all the time... fixed:
do this and do that.

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You think all the time
about yourself,

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what you're doing well and aren't
doing well, so it's continuously

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asking yourself:
"What am I doing wrong?"

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It's the personality.
-It's a little bit...

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It's personal growth.
-It's personal growth,

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and you have this privilege
to work on your personal growth

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24 hours a day, which
other people don't.

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We athletes, at the end
of our careers, really know

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ourselves like no one else
can know themselves.

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Sport is the best way to know
yourself, who you are,

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and that's why I think sport
is so important

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for every person, so that
you have time to be with yourself,

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to feel your breathing, to do
sport, and it doesn't need

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to be professional sport. It can
happen with recreational sport.

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And when you have yourself,
then you have...

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You're a better person for others
and the community.

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That's why I believe Slovenia
is a great land to create

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this community. I'm sorry
for my English, but yeah.

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I think it's great work
that Slovenia is doing

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and it should continue
to do it.

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We are connecting all these
sport activities,

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which we are doing to support
our sportspeople

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internally, in our bank.

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That way, we are building
our connectiveness,

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our team spirit. We are supporting
or leveraging

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constant progress on development.

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We are encouraging our people
to take care of their health

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and their well-being, because
we know that those

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who are more active in sport
are also more productive.

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They can give much more energy
at work and at home.

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Creating a positive environment
and especially creating

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a positive sport experience
by the age of ten

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is a very good predictor
of a healthy lifestyle

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when you are old
or an adult.

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This is what we're doing
in Slovenia.

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One more thing. Maybe it's unique;
the guests can tell us.

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In Slovenia, when the New Year
is coming, we say,

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"Happy and a healthy
New Year."

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And sport is a factory
of happiness and health.

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So if you want to be healthy,
you need to be physically active.

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And then the joy, the effort found
in joy comes out,

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so I think we're doing quite
well here.

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We should regard sport
as a school of life,

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because it's so emotionally
charged, and an elite sporting

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career is about ten years long.
Our working career

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is 40 years long, so it's
about four times more intensive

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than any other things you do,
so when you're involved in sport,

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you can get a concentrate
of life in a cup.

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And at the end, you probably
win a cup.