Petrol together with Petrol Club members for a better tomorrow for young athletes

Yesterday, at a reception in Kranjska Gora, we welcomed the last of Slovenia’s sports heroes and heroines who delighted us with their outstanding performances and seven medals at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Petrol also ensured the happiness and bright future of future Olympians by raising an impressive €25,000 for the “Botrstvo v športu” programme.

At the last reception for Slovenian participants in this year’s Winter Olympics, we welcomed not only our best Slovenian skiers, but also about half a kilogram of silver in the form of a medal. One of the main heroes of the reception was the owner of this medal, our ski champion Žan Kranjec.

But as well as our athletes, who brought joy, good humour and pride to all Slovenians over the last two weeks, we were able to pay tribute to another achievement. In cooperation with the Slovenian Olympic Committee (OKS), the Miroslav Cerar Foundation for supporting athletes from socially disadvantaged environments and the Slovenian Association of Friends of Youth Ljubljana Moste-Polje, Petrol has decided to repeat the charity campaign “Vsaka Zlata točka šteje” (Every Gold Point Counts), which raised €20,000 for the “Botrstvo v športu” project during the Tokyo Summer Olympics.

As a long-time major sponsor of the OKS, Petrol used its Olympic campaign to ask its Petrol Club members to donate their Gold Points, which were then converted into euros. Thanks to the overwhelming response from members who recognised the importance of the project, one million Gold Points were collected in just four days. This prompted Petrol to extend the campaign, surpassing the success from the time of the Tokyo Olympics. In total, €25,000 was donated to young athletes from socially disadvantaged environments to buy equipment and ensure a level playing field for training and competition.

The symbolic cheque was presented to Miro Cerar, President of the Miroslav Cerar Foundation, by the President of the Management Board of Petrol, Nada Drobne Popović, who said: “Petrol has been supporting various sports clubs and associations, as well as individual sportsmen and sportswomen, for many years now, because we are aware that sport is an important factor in a healthy lifestyle and that it should be promoted at all levels. We are also deeply aware that without the right conditions for training and competition, without top-quality equipment and expertise, even the greatest talents cannot perform at their best. This is why this year, we have decided to support the “Botrstvo v športu” project with the charity campaign “Vsaka Zlata točka šteje” (Every Gold Point Counts) and thus provide promising young athletes with the best possible conditions so that in the future, they will be able to delight us with their successes, just like these outstanding sportsmen and sportswomen, thanks to whom we have gathered in Kranjska Gora. At this point, I would also like to thank all Petrol Club cardholders who have recognised the importance of our project and donated their Gold Points, thus supporting Slovenian sport.” 

If anyone knows how important it is to take part in sport and to have the same opportunities as others, it is certainly the President of the OKS, Bogdan Gabrovec, who welcomes campaigns of this kind: “Even though we are living in 2022, there are still too many children and young people who cannot take part in sports because their parents or guardians do not have the means to provide them with the opportunity to do so. This is why I am extremely pleased that for the second year in a row, Petrol has decided to launch a charity campaign during the Olympics and donate to “Botrstvo v športu”, through which more than 30 children will receive annual scholarships, enabling them to participate in sports. Social sustainability is one of our priorities, as well as Petrol’s. We must strive to ensure that children and young people have equal opportunities to participate in sports at every step.”

One of those who deal with inequalities in everyday life on a daily basis is certainly Anita Ogulin, President of the Slovenian Association of Friends of Youth Ljubljana Moste-Polje, who points out that far too many talented young athletes do not have the same opportunities for sports as their peers: “Our athletes are truly admirable and all citizens support them in every such competition, because they inspire elation and pride. And this is really inspiring and nice to watch. On such occasions, it is also essential to point out that successes take a lot of sacrifice, time and effort, as well as a lot of resources, which are not a given. Last year, we supported 96 athletes with monthly scholarships through the “Botrstvo v športu” programme. This year, thanks to our donors, we will be able to increase this number quite significantly, as the scholarships will be given to more than 130 young athletes who are already on their way to outstanding results. The scholarships are intended to cover the costs of training, equipment, etc., which are all essential for top results. Many young people who are exceptionally talented and interested in a particular sport, in which they also invest a great deal of effort, live in circumstances that prevent them from developing their sporting talent to the extent where they can become world-class athletes. This is why supporting them is the right thing to do, as these young people will certainly contribute visible results to Slovenian sport and connect it with the generations that will come after them.”