Sabantuy was organized by Russians who had moved from Kazan — Rushan Valiev and Ildar Zakirov. The Tatar national holiday was held on the beach in Tivat.
“The holiday took place on the beach behind the airport. We started with 20 participants, then there were more, about 50–60 people. It was a very warm celebration, it went joyfully. Thanks to the organizers,” said Tatar-Inform News Agency Aydar Garaev, a native of the Muslyumovsky District of Tatarstan, now living in Montenegro.
“Since Sabantuy was held for the first time, the goal was not to gather many participants. The main thing was for Tatars to come and get to know each other. Traditional games and competitions were held with local specifics in mind. For example, the sack fight was not on a log, but on a boat — the loser fell straight into the water. We brought real katyk (ed. - curdled milk). In the sack race, I won a T-shirt. They smashed a pot — though a plastic one. There was a contest to cut down prizes while blindfolded. The atmosphere was warm, without formality. Tatar songs were played, we also sang and danced,” Aydar said. The first Sabantuy was held without belt wrestling.
The beachgoers were also interested in the games. “Rushan’s daughter studies at a local school, she translated. Montenegrins also joined the celebration. They dived face-first into katyk to find a coin, cut down prizes,” Garaev added. According to Aydar, for a first Sabantuy, it was very good! In 2010, Aydar bought an apartment in Montenegro, and now he provides services to tourists.