The “Queen of Sports” returns to the Belgrade stage, the global athletics map, and to the stars who have written the history of the sport on the international scene. The Belgrade Indoor Meeting is a prestigious elite-level athletics event, holding Gold status on the World Athletics Indoor Tour, and once again it is back where […]
The “Queen of Sports” returns to the Belgrade stage, the global athletics map, and to the stars who have written the history of the sport on the international scene. The Belgrade Indoor Meeting is a prestigious elite-level athletics event, holding Gold status on the World Athletics Indoor Tour, and once again it is back where it belongs – with us and for us.
On February 11, the Athletics Hall in Banjica will host the 11th edition of this continuously growing and increasingly popular competition. The meeting attracts the world’s top athletes, the main protagonists in disciplines such as 60 m, 400 m, 1500 m and 3000 m, high jump, long jump, triple jump and shot put, as well as athletics fans from across the region.
Together with the Serbian Athletics Federation, the Belgrade Indoor Meeting has placed Serbia’s capital among eight elite indoor competitions worldwide, and with this year’s edition, the event enters its second decade of existence.
In 2026, the Belgrade audience will watch the second-fastest man in the world, a World Indoor Championship silver medallist from Nanjing 2025, as well as Serbia’s own champions who have brought home medals from major world and European competitions.
Our queen of the high jump, 20-year-old Angelina Topić, will once again chase a new record, while Serbia’s most decorated athlete and multiple world champion Ivana Španović continues to push her limits in the triple jump.
On this occasion, a press conference was held at the Old Palace of the City of Belgrade. The conference was attended and addressed by Slobodan Branković, President of the Serbian Athletics Federation, Nikola Penić, City Secretary for Sport and Youth, Marko Ristov, Meeting Director, as well as athletes competing at the 11th Gold Belgrade Indoor Meeting – Ivana Španović, Armin Sinančević, Zejnab Dosso and Daniel Roberts.
Opening the conference, President of the Serbian Athletics Federation Slobodan Branković welcomed the attendees and highlighted the unique quality and appeal of the Belgrade Indoor Meeting, as well as the importance of the competition in a year when Serbian athletics celebrates a major jubilee – 120 years of existence.
“Belgrade is once again the center of world athletics! We thank the City of Belgrade, the Ministry of Sport and our sponsors – the Serbian capital has become an unavoidable stop for the world’s best athletes. I am extremely proud that over the past 11 years we have built top-level infrastructure and positioned ourselves on the global map. Tomorrow, in our hall – the best in the region – we will host the very best. Our athletes will have the opportunity to compete at home, in their only athletics home. I am especially pleased that our juniors will also experience the atmosphere of a ‘gold’ meeting and compete against the world elite. Manager Robert Wagner secured a fantastic start list, and Meeting Director Marko Ristov has done an outstanding job in the organization. This is just the beginning of a rich season for Serbian athletics – in September we will host the Serbia Open, and in December the crown of the season, the European Cross Country Championships. I wish all athletes great success and top results. I firmly believe that tomorrow we will witness international records being broken,” said Branković.
World-renowned and uniquely Serbian, Ivana Španović will once again take off toward new heights – this time in the triple jump.
“I’m happy that I’m still competing. Being among the athletes, I also enjoy the positive impressions of everyone who comes here. I’m glad that I’m healthy and ready to compete tomorrow. I approach this new discipline with the same emotions and ambitions. I will compete only in the triple jump and can’t wait to see how far I can go compared to the record I set last week. I hope to reach new distances and be competitive at the World Indoor Championships. I would love to realize our plans as soon as possible. Join us on our road to the World Championships in March. I invite everyone to come tomorrow and enjoy it with us,” said Španović, who has accustomed fans to records and medals across the globe.
Serbian champion and national record holder in the shot put, Armin Sinančević, arrives with high ambitions despite injury concerns.
“Tomorrow we are competing at a Gold level meeting, and it is a great honor for all of us to be part of such an event. The competition includes the best throwers, all in excellent form, and everyone will be aiming for victory. As for me, I have some minor issues with an intercostal muscle, but I believe we’ll manage it by tomorrow and try to achieve the best possible result. We’ve been working toward this for a while, and it’s important to deliver a strong performance here,” said Sinančević.
The meeting will feature 129 international athletes from 50 countries, including numerous world and European medalists. Serbia will be represented by 21 athletes.
“We have a very strong start list with many big names, and the audience will truly enjoy the meeting. We’ve managed to bring athletes from all continents. Retaining Gold status was not easy, and I hope we will surpass last year’s edition,” said Belgrade Indoor Meeting Director Marko Ristov.
The quality of the Belgrade Indoor Meeting continues to elevate athletics, placing it alongside other major global sports. This view is shared by Daniel Roberts, American sprinter and hurdler, silver medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, who announced a strong performance in Belgrade.
“I expect a lot. I’m in great shape and have made good progress. I’ve trained very well over the past weeks and will give my best to achieve a top result,” said Roberts.
Sprinters are another highlight of the event, and Belgrade will welcome one of today’s biggest sprint stars, Zejnab Dosso.
“I’m ready for new performance challenges. I truly enjoyed the atmosphere at the Belgrade Indoor Meeting last year,” added Dosso.
Belgrade is globally recognized for the top-level organization of sporting events, with athletics holding a special place.
“We are expecting the 11th Belgrade Indoor Meeting, which has held Gold status for the second consecutive year, proudly supported by the City Secretariat. Serbian athletics has progressed significantly in recent years thanks to Veselin Jevrosimović and Slobodan Branković, and Belgrade is firmly positioned on the world athletics map. I wish all athletes a successful competition,” said City Secretary for Sport and Youth Nikola Penić.
The rich competition program on February 11, 2026, at the Athletics Hall in Banjica will last approximately four and a half hours. The event opens at 14:35 with the women’s triple jump, featuring Serbia’s legendary Ivana Španović. The main program begins at 16:00, while the meeting’s biggest star, Angelina Topić, starts her competition at 17:45.
The 60 metres race is the ultimate treat of every athletics competition. A supreme test of the “fastest human” indoors, pure and raw explosiveness, with results decided in less than seven seconds – all of this makes this discipline of the “queen of sports” truly unique. One of only eight meetings in the world holding […]
The countdown is on to the 11th edition of the Belgrade Indoor Meeting, one of only eight athletics meetings worldwide holding Gold status. Another spectacular celebration of the “queen of sports” awaits us, organized by the Serbian Athletic Federation — a true festival of sport. On February 11, 2026, starting at 2:30 PM, the Athletics […]