Former Croatian athlete and journalist Milka Babović has died in Zagreb on December 26, 2020 at the age of 93.

Babović was born on October 27, 1928 in Skopje, and had lived in Zagreb since 1948, where she studied chemistry at the Faculty of Technology in Zagreb. She graduated from the Higher Pedagogical School in Zagreb (1963) with a degree in sports and physical education, Croatian and German.

 

She was a role model who tried to break down prejudices against women. She wrote, spoke in public, visited schools, actively participated at symposia, was always in favour of health promotion, and addressed herself to women and men alike. She was nicknamed “sports literacy champion”.

 

She emphasized that adults should be assisted to understand why they are encouraged to engage in recreation, while children should be provided with adequate conditions to practice sport.

As an assistant athletics coach, Babović collaborated with physical training teachers in Zagreb primary schools to encourage girls to practice athletics. This activity also included visits to the families, conversations with mothers and grandmothers who were “tough nuts to crack”.

 

She was a junior officer at the Zagreb Mladost Academic Athletic Club and her duties included hygiene, behaviour and learning. “Remedial courses” were organized for girls who had learning problems and Babović assisted in teaching chemistry and literature.

 

JOURNALISM CAREER

 

As a professional sports journalist, Babović was a very active member of the Croatian Journalist Association. From 1974 to 1979 she was the chairwoman of the Croatian sports journalists section. She was also an AIPS member (Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive).

 

From 1949 to 1957, she was a part-time member of the editorial staff of “Narodni sport”, participated in the radio programme of Radio Zagreb, and occasionally contributed to many publications, including Vjesnik, Slobodna Dalmacija, Oslobođenje and Nova Makedonija.

 

She contributed to the letters H and I of the Croatian General Encyclopedia. She was an associate and member of the editorial staff council of the magazine “History of Sport” (published from 1970 to 1999).

 

From 1970 to 1981, Babović had a column in the children's magazine SMIB – stories introducing children into the world of sport. She was also a collaborator in the youth's weekly “Plavi vjesnik”.

Babović started working in television in 1957. She created the first sports editorial office and became the first editor of a TV sports programme.

 

She launched a family show in 1958 and within this programme was the first morning workout segment called “Exercise with us”. The collaborators were physical training and sports experts.  At the time, there was no video recording and all the shows were irretrievably aired.

 

In 1958, Babović also introduced the show “Telesport”, a public round table for the issues related to physical training and sport. She wrote regularly about doping in newspapers and magazines.

She was a member of the Yugoslav Olympic Committee and a member of the Executive Council of the Zagreb city hall, physical training and sport. She promoted sport for all through exercising.

 

Babović worked as a TV reporter and commentator at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome and the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, as well as the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck (1964 and 1976), Grenoble (1968), and Sarajevo (1984). In Sarajevo, she was the deputy head of the International Press Center.

 

She also covered six European Athletics Championships in 1962 Belgrade, 1966 Budapest, 1969 Athens, 1971 Helsinki, 1978 Prague and 1986 Stuttgart

 

Babović was a TV programme editor and commentator at two European Skating Championships in Zagreb (in 1974 and 1979) and a commentator at a World Championships.

She also followed gymnastics, rowing, equestrian sports, cross-country skiing and speed skating.

 

During the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games she worked in the Olympic Results and Information Services for modern pentathlon and at the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympic Games (skating).

She retired in 1991 but kept on working. At the Croatian Television teletext she had a column “Sports Curiosities” (short stories about past and present personalities, events in sport and the behind the scenes).

 

SPORTS CAREER

 

Milka Babović got acquainted with sport under her mother's influence. After the war in 1945, at the age of 17, she started practicing sport at the high school in Ruma.

 

She became a member of the Vojvodina team and participated in the first Yugoslav Athletics Championship after the Second World War (Zagreb, 24 and 25 September 1945). She was in the 100m final. In 1948, she came to Zagreb to study chemistry and continued to practice sport – gymnastics and athletics - at the University.

 

She was a member of the Mladost Academic Sports Association in Zagreb. She trained for the 100 and 200m sprints, relays, 80m hurdles and long jump.

 

She never betrayed her coach's motto: “You don't have to win but you have to fight, not  quit, arrive at the finish line, even on all fours!”

 

As a member of the Yugoslav national athletics team, she was the champion of Yugoslavia 17 times, and broke the state record 26 times (in several disciplines). She was a member of the national team 26 times, and the Balkan champion twice.

 

She was a two-time world student champion in the 80-meter hurdles (1953 in Dortmund and 1957 in Paris) and at the 1954 European Championships in Bern, she was fifth in the 80-meter hurdles.