KROS RTS: Traditional children's race in Madrid. Event organized by the Ivo Andrić Spanish-Serbian Cultural Association.

History of the RTS Cross

The idea for the Radio Belgrade Cross Country Race was conceived in the fall of 1990. That winter, Nikola Mirkov, director of Radio Belgrade, gave the go-ahead to launch the competition. On April 20, 1991, the first Radio Belgrade Cross Country Race was held at the Sremska Mitrovica racetrack. It was the first time Radio Belgrade had broadcast a cross-country race, which lasted four hours and 45 minutes.

Cross Radio Belgrade grew rapidly, becoming the largest event in Southeast Europe. It was then renamed RTS Cross.

In 2000, the RTS Cross changed its name to “Let Serbia Run” (now RTS Cross for Serbia). On April 15, 518,700 students ran simultaneously in 147 municipalities across Serbia, a feat that set a Guinness World Record. The event even received a written congratulatory message from the president of the European Athletics Association, Karl Olaf Homen of Finland.

On April 7, 2001, the "RTS Cross in the Diaspora" event took place. Serbian children competed in eight European countries: France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Romania, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden.

The complete transformation of the RTS Cross was finalized in 2007. After 16 years, the finals were partially moved from Sremska Mitrovica, meaning that the RTS Cross Series of the Radio Belgrade Grand Prix consisted of five races held on five consecutive Saturdays. Then, with “RTS Cross Across Serbia” and “RTS Cross in the Diaspora,” two camps were established for children in the diaspora and the “Aleksandar Petrović” camp for gifted young riders aged 12 to 17. Thanks to these changes, RTS Cross is active year-round.

Official RTS Cross Website (in Serbian): http://krosrts.rs/

On this occasion, the Ivo Andrić Spanish-Serbian Association organized and hosted this event at Retiro Park in Madrid on Sunday, June 5, 2022. Twenty-two children between the ages of 8 and 15 participated. The medals were presented by the Serbian Ambassador to Spain, Katarina Lalić Smajević, who awarded the children their well-deserved medals, diplomas, and gifts donated by the Balcanum company.

Sports photography at the KROS RTS event held in Retiro Park, Madrid.