Symbolically hitting a ball into the water, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Srpska Government, Milorad Dodik, the Mayor of Banja Luka, Dragoljub Davidović, and Serbia Water Polo Federation Chairman, Velibor Sovrović, officially opened the newly constructed Olympic swimming pool in Banja Luke on December 05. With the swimming pool officially opened, a Serbia premier water polo league match between `Vojvodina` and `Partizan` followed and resulted in `Partizan` beating Vojvodina 12 to 6. Prime Minister Dodik said that the facility of the type had been a long-standing necessity so that competitions could be hosted at a European and global level.
“I believe that this swimming pool will serve not only generations of young swimmers and water polo athletes who will be having preparations for competitions here, but also the citizens of Banja Luka and the Republic of Srpska. I am personally very satisfied that after two years we managed to finish this project, which meets European and world standards, as building a swimming pool to meet only local needs would be pointless. We have been promised that the national water polo team of Serbia would have part of their preparations for the European Water Polo Championships here”, Dodik said to the present media representatives before the official opening ceremony.
 Dragoljub Davidović said that the investment of 17 million KM had been made into the construction of the swimming pool and stressed out the significance of the match between the water polo teams of `Partizan` from Belgrade and `Vojvodina` from Novi Sad in regard to the promotion of water polo in Banja Luka.
“This swimming pool obviously represents the potential to encourage and enable the development of swimming and water polo in Banja Luka. The fact that there are so many children non-swimmers that would be given opportunity to learn how to swim adds to the significance of this swimming pool. Additionally, it will be at citizens` disposal as well. I am positive that the facility would be embraced by all as it would be at the disposal of all those interested in making use of it”, the mayor of the biggest city in the Republic of Srpska finally added.
On behalf of the Water Polo Federation of Serbia the spectators were addressed by Velibor Sovrović, who expressed his satisfaction with the fact that the Serbia premier water polo league match took place in Banja Luka. “In the forthcoming months the Water Polo Federation of Serbia will be ready to help with the development of water polo in Banja Luka and, as the federation chairman, I am promising that a match of the national water polo team of Serbia will take place in Banja Luka in the period to come”, Sovrović stressed out.
The official opening ceremony was attended by many sports and political officials of the Republic of Srpska and Serbia, among other, Serbia national water polo team selector, Dejan Udovičić. He said that he was amazed by the reception of the water polo athletes in Banja Luka. Additionally, Udovičić stressed out that a possible way of cooperation might be to make Banja Luka the Serbia national water polo team base for preparations, taking into account the quality of the swimming pool, which is in that regard put among the best in Europe.