Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď visits DUKLA Banská Bystrica Military Sports Centre

Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď along with State Secretary of the SVK Ministry of Defence Marian Majer and MP Karol Kučera today visited the DUKLA Banská Bystrica Military Sports Centre. They were updated on the current situation and ongoing activities at the Military Sports Centre and the refurbishment and modernisation of the Athletics Stadium in Štiavničky. Head of the MOD was interested to learn about how the MOD can support sportsmen and women in order to improve their training conditions as best as possible.

Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: "Sportsmen and women from our Military Sports Centre deserve not only our recognition for bringing high quality performances and representing Slovakia in an exemplary manner, but also our assistance insofar as we set the best conditions for their development in their professional careers." He also praised the top performances of DUKLA athletes at most prestigious sporting events.

Head of the MOD was particularly interested in progress made in refurbishing and modernising the SNP Stadium. "Speaking to the leadership of the Military Sports Centre, I communicated the basic pillars of the new MOD leadership – expertise and transparency," he said, stressing that each modernisation project, including that of the Štiavničky stadium's refurbishment, will be implemented by the MOD in line with strict criteria, making sure that financial resources are used efficiently and invoices are properly checked against actual work done.

The DUKLA Banská Bystrica Military Sports Centre is home to 82 top performing SVK National Team sportsmen and women who train and compete professionally on a full time basis. The Centre has achieved over 1,100 medals since its establishment 53 years ago.