The swimmers of the Vranjevo Sports Club Zvezda ended the 1943 summer season with great success, and it was only natural that they wished to organize another swimming meet in Novi Bečej the following year.
A preserved document shows that on July 26, 1944, the club sent an invitation to BASK from Belgrade, asking them to come to Novi Bečej on August 27, 1944, together with swimmers from the Belgrade club Bob, to take part in a swimming meet.
This information comes from a letter sent by BASK on August 2, 1944, to the club secretary, Branislav Kiselički. In the letter, BASK stated that the Bob club would not participate because not all of its swimmers were available, but that BASK was willing to visit on its own, accepting the offered conditions—coverage of travel expenses, accommodation, and meals. The match was proposed for August 27, or earlier if possible, and it was noted that women, sub-juniors, juniors, seniors, and a water polo team would take part. The letter also mentioned that permission from the appropriate sports federation or DSO might be required.
However, the planned swimming meet never took place. The reason was clear—the final phase of World War II was approaching, and forces of the Red Army were moving closer to the borders of Yugoslavia. In early October 1944, Novi Bečej was liberated, which also marked the end of the work of all local sports sections.
With that, a decade of activities by Novi Bečej’s swimmers and water polo players—before and during the war years—came to an end, leaving a valuable testimony about the sporting life of a Banat town in difficult historical times.
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