Femcompetitor.com, grapplingstars.com, fciwomenswrestling.com, fcielitecompetitor.com, fciwomenswrestling2.com Petar-Milosevic-Own-work-wikipedia-photo-credit.
November 24, 2021,
Continued growth in women’s fully competitive freestyle wrestling is prompting the passionate and skilled to set up tournaments all over the world.
Even in places, from a distance, that we thought were in conflict.
Hopefully we are wrong.
Recently flowrestling.org posted an exciting message that at least from our corner of the world raised a few questions. On November 2, 2021, they shared, “The Serbia-bound USA U23 women’s freestyle World Team is loaded with college stars on a roster that includes national champions, finalists and All-Americans from recent years.”
Sounds like an incredible ensemble of female grapplers at the highest level.
We subscribe to Flowrestling. Who are they?
In association with FloSports, they are a leading innovator in live event streaming, giving you access to over 200,000 sports competitions live or on demand, with exclusive, behind-the-scenes coverage and original programming for over 25 different sports.
Our particular interest is in obtaining the latest information about women’s freestyle wrestling current events.
So, when we heard of these elite athlete traveling to Serbia, we wondered how safe is Serbia in 2021?
According the United States Department of State website, travel.state.gov, on September 13, 2021, they educate, “Do Not travel to Serbia due to COVID-19. Exercise increased caution in Serbia due to crime.
Read the Department of State’s COVID-19 page before you plan any international travel.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice for Serbia due to COVID-19, indicating a very high level of COVID-19 in the country. Your risk of contracting COVID-19 and developing severe symptoms may be lower if you are fully vaccinated with an FDA authorized vaccine. Before planning any international travel, please review the CDC’s specific recommendations for fully vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers.”
That is what we suspected.
We suspected this as well. They add “Do Not travel to Serbia due to COVID-19. Exercise increased caution in Serbia due to crime.”
Understandably certain groups, like a government sanctioned team, may have certain allowances the average citizen does not.
And greater protections.
The United States Embassy in Serbia adds, “Effective November 8, 2021, all non-immigrant, non-U.S. citizen air travelers to the United States will be required to be fully vaccinated and to provide proof of vaccination status prior to boarding an airplane to the United States.
U.S. citizens and Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) who are eligible to travel but are not fully vaccinated will need to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test one (1) day before their flight. U.S citizens and LPRs who are fully vaccinated will need to present airlines with proof of vaccination and of a negative COVID-19 test three (3) days before their flight. Exemptions will be considered on an extremely limited basis. Please contact your nearest embassy or consulate to apply for an exemption.”
Here, Covid-19 appears to be the major concern.
In a matter of time, hopefully this will not be a major issue.
Let’s visit today’s Serbia as the female wrestling team did. Women’s action will spanned November 3-5 and will be available live on FloWrestling.
Serbia is a landlocked country in Central and Southeast Europe.
It is situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkans, bordering Hungary to the north, Romania to the northeast, Bulgaria to the southeast, North Macedonia to the south, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the west, and Montenegro to the southwest; while claiming a border with Albania through the disputed territory of Kosovo.
Serbia has a population of almost 7 million, with Belgrade as its capital and largest city.
We have had a persistent interest in the region because the mighty Danube River flows through it, where an important fully competitive women’s submission wrestling group made history and fueled the submission wrestling sport as we know it today.
Serbia is an upper-middle income economy, ranked 64th and “very high” in the Human Development Index domain.
It is a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic, member of the UN, CoE, OSCE, PfP, BSEC, CEFTA, AIIB, and is acceding to the WTO.
Since 2014, the country has been negotiating its EU accession, with the aim of joining the European Union by 2025. Serbia has been formally adhering to the policy of military neutrality. The country provides universal health care and free primary and secondary education to its citizens.
What can you enjoy there? It has been a travel destination.
In 2019, total of over 3.6 million tourists were recorded in accommodations, of which half were foreign. Foreign exchange earnings from tourism were estimated at $1.5 billion.
Tourism is mainly focused on the mountains and spas of the country, which are mostly visited by domestic tourists, as well as Belgrade and, to a lesser degree, Novi Sad, which are preferred choices of foreign tourists (almost two-thirds of all foreign visits are made to these two cities).
The most famous mountain resorts are Kopaonik, Stara Planina and Zlatibor. There are also many spas in Serbia, the biggest of which are Vrnjačka Banja, Soko Banja, and Banja Koviljača.
Serbia is a country of rich ecosystem and species diversity—covering only 1.9% of the whole European territory, Serbia is home to 39% of European vascular flora, 51% of European fish fauna, 40% of European reptiles and amphibian fauna, 74% of European bird fauna, and 67% European mammal fauna.
Its abundance of mountains and rivers make it an ideal environment for a variety of animals, many of which are protected including wolves, lynx, bears, foxes, and stags.
The travel team at serbia.com, enhance, “Welcome to the land of great cultural wealth, where nature is just as bit tame as it is wild, and where beautiful cities irrevocably entwine the East and the West for centuries.
Come, explore Serbia, its cities, unique natural beauty, old monasteries, archaeological sites, the remains of the Roman Empire, castles, châteaux, spas, ethno villages and many other things. Indulge your senses with superb Serbian national cuisine. Feel the burst of energy at some of the most exhilarating music festivals in Europe, and experience a unique nightlife that usually lasts until the early morning hours.”
Sounds like great fun.
In terms of enjoyable destinations?
You can add dynamic fully competitive female grappling tournaments to the list.
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OPENING PHOTO Femcompetitor.com, grapplingstars.com, fciwomenswrestling.com, fcielitecompetitor.com, fciwomenswrestling2.com Petar-Milosevic-Own-work-wikipedia-photo-credit.
http://www.serbia.com/visit-serbia/
https://rs.usembassy.gov/serbia-covid-19-information/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serbia
