Ljubljana, 26 November 2013 – On Friday, 22 November 2013, the mayor of the City municipality of Ljubljana, Zoran Janković, presented the 2013 Marjan Rožanc award for achievements in sports to Jože Mermal, the president of BTC Management Board, at a ceremony in the atrium of City Museum Ljubljana.

This year’s award for professional and organisational activities was also given to Sport society Slovan, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary, and to Drago Banović, former director of the sport society Zavod Tivoli. The award for special sport achievements, which is given to athletes from Ljubljana, went to Živa Dvoršak, who competes in sport shooting.

Among the reasons for presenting the award to Jože Mermal, the mayor of Ljubljana pointed out the BTC Company’s long-term support of different sport disciplines (cycling, ski jumping, gymnastics, etc). The president of the BTC Management Board understands the needs of different sport disciplines and organisations and plays an active role in different sport organisations. In 1995 he joined the sport society Akademska športna zveza Olimpija, between 1996 and 2001 he was the president of the basketball club KK Union Olimpija, and he has also been a patron of Slovenian gymnastics. In 2012 Mr Mermal was the president of the Honorary organising committee of the World Cup ski jumping event for women in Ljubno. He has also always had an active role as the president of the Organising committee of BTC City Marathon Franja. With his support and active role he has raised the level of quality and recognisability of different sport disciplines in a special and original manner. Under his leadership, the BTC Company has helped numerous athletes, sport societies and individuals. He has received great recognition for all his efforts from the UCI, which named the city of Ljubljana as the host of the World Amateur Cycling Finals (UWCT Finals) in 2014.

The Marjan Rožanc award has been given by the City municipality of Ljubljana since 1992 for excellent professional and organisational activities over a longer period of time. Each year the award is given to volunteer sport workers, athletes, trainers, professional workers in sport, and sport journalists for their outstanding achievements in the previous year or over a longer period of time.

Additional information:

Maja Oven, Director of the Market Communications and Public Relations Sector

• T: 386 (0) 1 585 13 15
• E: maja.oven@btc.si