Sports in general play a very important role in the development of professional sports. The SIJ Group is well aware of this. They support professional sports, as well as recreational sport enthusiasts with a mind of steel by enabling communities across Slovenia to train in street workout parks of their own production. Today they, in cooperation with the Olympic Committee of Slovenia, extended this spirit to the locals of Krško and the surroundings by officially opening the steel street workout park next to the Matija Gubec Stadium in the company of the Olympic medallist Primož Kozmus.
Athlete Primož Kozmus won a gold medal in Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and a silver medal in London 2012. Slovenia’s most successful athlete of all times shared his thoughts on the power of a mind of steel during the hardest moments of his sports path: “I want to smooth the way for the young so that they don’t make the same mistakes as I did – not only in athletics, but in life in general,” and added: “ You learn that you have to work hard to achieve your goals, that things don’t just fall into your lap. You develop discipline and work habits. Usually people have to go through the worst to change our way of thinking. And developing your perception of life can be much easier through sports than through more difficult situations and distress.” As a testament to Primož, there is a board representing his fruitful sports path next to the street workout park, which will inspire both visitors and users. Within the Mind of Steel project, the Olympic Committee of Slovenia and SIJ Group will erect such boards next to all new and existing street workout parks to honour local sportsmen and sportswomen.
300 work hours went into each street workout park made of 86 meters of steel pipes. Today, the locals of Krško and the surroundings got to enjoy the ninth street workout park sponsored by SIJ Group, where they will have the chance to take even better care of their body and health in the future. Katja Krumpak, Head of Mind of steel project: “This street workout park will be a challenge for many who will want to test their abilities. The way to achieving your goals is not easy. For each success, for each time you give your all in any area – may that be sports, education, culture or business – you have to prove you have a mind of steel. This quality has been an integral part of the SIJ Group’s character from the very beginning, and we build street workout parks to evoke the steel strength in local communities across Slovenia.” By coming in conscious contact with steel used for the street workout parks, people also realise the important role this most widely used material in the world plays in sports infrastructures.
The Vice-president of the umbrella organization for sport in Slovenia, mag. Janez Sodržnik, President of the Expert Council for Sports for All, also attended the grand opening of the street workout park and was especially glad at the sponsor’s “steel” initiative: “Supporting sports on a local level is a strategic task for the Olympic Committee of Slovenia, and by setting street workout parks we contribute towards improving the conditions for sports activities for the people in local environments.”
At the Matija Gubec Stadium, the guests were also greeted by the deputy Mayor of Krško Municipality Silvo Krošelj: “I am glad that the new workout park, which is the result of a co-operation between the Olympic Committee of Slovenia – Association of Sports Federations, Slovenian Steel Group and Krško Municipality, will enrich the sports offer of the Matija Gubec Stadium. The street workout stations will be available to all users, both young and old. We hope that the park will attract many new active users to exercise, strengthen their minds of steel, and mostly do something for their health.”
The President of OCS Bogdan Gabrovec also greeted the locals and emphasized: “Another one in line of already active steel street workout parks which the SIJ Group has donated to local communities across Slovenia. I hope and believe that this one in Krško will also take off and soon become an added bonus for all locals of Krško and the surroundings who will take care of their health and keep in shape by exercising on these devices.”
Through various activities under the brand name Made of Steel, the SIJ Group evokes the inner steel strength needed for the determination and hard work which lead to success in sports and life in general. In cooperation with OCS, the SIJ Group plans to set up eleven street workout parks in total across Slovenia.
