Croatian Olympic Committee

Baku, July 21, 2019 - At the Olympic Stadium in Baku the XV European Youth Summer Olympic Festival (EYOF) was solemnly opened, which will feature around 3600 young female and male athletes from 50 countries of the old continent during seven competing days. Among them, there will be 54 Croatian representatives in nine (out of ten) sports. The spectacle marked by song, dance, light effects, fireworks and folklore tradition of Azerbaijan was participated by around forty Croatian female and male athletes, coaches and accompanying staff, led in the solemn parade by the flag bearer, judoka Ana Viktorija Puljiz.

Baku, July 23, 2019 -Young Croatian swimmer Franko Grgić won the second gold medal at the XV European Youth Summer Olympic Festival (EYOF) in just two days. The European Youth Summer Olympic Festival (EYOF), held from July 21st to 27th in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku. After yesterday's triumph at 400 meters, the Split’s swimming gem convincingly celebrated in 1500 meters Freestyle as well, breaking for as many as 20 seconds the EYOF record. So far it was 15:24.02, and from now on, with the name of the record holder Franko Grgić stands the time 15:04.75. The second was the Hungarian David Bethlehem (15:15.60), and the third German Silas Beth (15:20.58).

Baku, July 25, 2019 – Croatian judoka Katarina Krišto won a silver medal in the category -63 kg at the European Youth Summer Olympic Festival (EYOF), held in Baku (Azerbaijan) from July 21st to 27th. This is the second Croatian judoka’s medal, a day after Ana Viktorija Puljiz won a gold medal. In the round of 8 Krišto was better than the Hungarian Nikolett Nyiri, having her beaten by ippon, as well as she did in the quarterfinals with the Polish Martyna Glubiak and in the semifinals with the Ukrainian Julia Kurchenko. Ippon (after 42 seconds of the fight) was decisive in the final fight as well, but in favor of the overall winner, the Dutch Joanne van Lieshout.  

Baku, July 27, 2019 -In the capital of Azerbaijan the XV European Youth Summer Olympic Festival (EYOF) ended. The Closing Ceremony of the Games was held in the crowded Baku’s Crystal Hall, and the entire program was aimed at entertainment and relaxation of European sports youth (between 14 and 18 years) after one-week competition challenges in 10 sports. The host organized a several-hours-long musical spectacle, in which six prestigious musicians participated, and finally the DJ, with whom the Ceremony ended. During the Ceremony, the flag of the European Olympic Committees (EOCs) was handed over to Ján Nosko, the Mayor of the Slovak city of Banská Bystrica, the host of the XVI edition of the Summer EYOF 2021.

Zagreb, July 28, 2019 – The Croatian Sport Delegation returned on Sunday, in several groups, from the XV European Youth Summer Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Baku. The morning welcome to the golden handball players was followed by greatest shine, happiness and song, enjoyed also by the female and male wrestlers, athletes, tennis players, ... The lobby of the Franjo Tuđman Airport echoed, from time to time, with song and cheerleading of the cadet handball team which, along with the Head Coach Nino Marković and coaching  staff,  has no doubts on confirming its value in the future as well. However, the main individual star was the swimmer Franko Grgić with two gold medals around his neck.

Zagreb, June 13, 2019 - After an exceptionally successful Dubrovnik promotion of VK Jug monograph, titled Pet do 100 (5 to 100), Zagreb presentation of the impressive work of Željko Konsuo and his associates also attracted great attention of the local (sports) public. Besides the female and male water polo players, coaches, officials and friends of sports, the promotion at the Concert Hall Vatroslav Lisinski was made truly special by attendance of numerous dignitaries from political life, led by the Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

Zagreb, June 13, 2019 - President of the Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO) Zlatko Mateša received a three-member delegation of the Japanese Embassy in the Republic of Croatia, led by the new Ambassador H.E. Misako Kaji, at the premises of the National Olympic Association in Zagreb. The main topic of the talks were the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and continuation of sports cooperation between Croatian athletes and their Japanese friends, primarily from the city of Tokamachi.

Zagreb, June 7, 2019 – At the Croatian Olympic Committee’s headquarters, the President of the Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO) Zlatko Mateša, accompanied by of the Head of the Croatian NOC’s International Cooperation Department Ljiljana Ujlaki Šubić, received the Sri Lanka NOC’s Vice President Asanga Seneviratne. His mission in Croatia is connected with the possibilities of establishing cooperation in the field of sports, especially handball. The CNCO President recalled that we are bound to this by the Sports Cooperation Agreement signed between the two national Olympic Committees in Colombo in 2010 and renewed in November last year.

The Croatian Olympic Committee’s Award Milan Neralić was founded in March 2019 for an outstanding contribution to the development of sports at the local level in the field of scientific, professional and/or pedagogical work, and promotion of the physical and health culture of children and youth or sports and recreational activities of local residents. The Award is a sculpture bearing a symbolic link with the first Croatian winner of the Olympic medal Milan Neralić (bronze in Fencing at the Paris Olympics 1900), and its integral part is a written charter. Each year, on the International Day of Sport up to five awards will be presented, of which at least one will be presented to an association or other legal sports entity at the local level.

Zagreb, May 17, 2019 - Croatian sports officials are often elected to the governing bodies or important committees of European and World associations and this is often the case also with kinesiologists or physicians, who are – besides their professional involvement – also active in sports or recreation. By a recent decision of the Executive Board of the European Association "Sport for all" (EFCS) brought at its session in Paris, Croatian representative Zdenko Šipić was appointed President of the EFCS Health Commission.

Zagreb, May 19, 2019 – The Croatian National Taekwondo Team brings from the World Championships in Manchester (UK) a record number of medals won at world events. After Doris Pole (+73 kg) and Kristina Tomić (49 kg) won bronze in the past couple of days, on the last day of competing at the World Championships 20-year-old Bruna Vuletić (62 kg) and 19-year-old Ivan Šapina (87 kg) won two more bronze medals. On the way to the finals and the brighter medal Vuletić and Šapina were defeated by Brazilian representatives Caroline Santos and Miguel Martins Soares.

Zagreb, May 21, 2019 – The Croatian National Sambo Team blended into the last weekend’s "medal harvest", colored bronze to numerous Croatian female and male athletes. They brought three bronze medals from the European Senior Championships in the Spanish city of Gijon (from 17-20 May 2019). Dejan Gunjavić (with coach Željko Banić) had the hardest time to medal for winning bronze in Combat Sambo in the category of up to 82 kg. He managed to eliminate the multiple World Champion Russia’s Alexei Ivanov, but he was defeated in the semifinals by the Belarusian Yauheni Aleksiyevich.

Zagreb, May 26, 2019 – The elections for President, members of the FIBA Europe Board and Treasurer were held on Sunday at the headquarters of the European basketball umbrella organization in Munich and the President of the Croatian Basketball Federation (HKS) Stojko Vranković was elected a member of the FIBA Europe Board. On the eve of the Munich elections, the Croatian Basketball Federation emphasized the candidacy of its Head for membership in FIBA Europe Board and the candidacy was accepted by majority of the Assembly's votes. Turkey’s Turgay Demirel was elected the President of FIBA Europe.

Zagreb, May 27, 2019 -Croatian female bowling ninepin bowling players won the World Champions title by defeating the Hungarian National Pin Bowling Team in Sunday’s match in the Czech city of Rokycany with 5-3 (in pins 3759-3665), while Ines Maričić set a new World record with 687 pins. In the first round, Marijana Liović defeated Boglarka Hari, Ana Bačan Schneider was better than Andrea Toth, while Mirna Bosak was outscored by Gyöngyi Csongradi. In the second round, Ines Maričić was great and with 687 pins improved the World Record, which was previously also held by her (678 pins) at the World Championships in German city of Dettenheim in 2017.

Zagreb,May 9, 2019 – HOO and CoSport, the leading provider of Olympic ticketing and hospitality, are pleased to announce that Individual Tickets for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will be available exclusively through cosport.com starting with an initial request phase. CoSport has been appointed by the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee as the sole Authorized Ticket Reseller in Croatia. Tokyo 2020 Tickets Available in Croatia During May 9 - 31 Request Phase  Hotel and Ticket Packages Will Be Available Exclusively through cosport.com June 20. On July 24, 2020, the world will come together in Tokyo for the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, followed by 16 days of competition in Japan’s capital city. Demand for tickets to these highly-anticipated Games is expected to be strong. 

Zagreb, April 3, 2019 - In the year marking two decades of its release, the magazine Olimp dazzled in a new image. The round, 70th edition is the first in a redesigned edition. It has remained equally attractive, informative and interesting in terms of its content. Interview with the President of the Working Group for Drafting the Proposal of Croatian National Sports Program 2019-2026, the Croatian NOC Vice President Sanda Čorak is the central topic of the edition, Sarajevo’s Winter EYOF - is the main multi-sports event the overview of which this edition of Olimp provides, followed by the regular sections.

Zagreb, March 28, 2019 - After the Croatian NOC’s Assembly unanimously accepted, at its 24th session,  the proposal for introduction of the Croatian NOC’s Award Milan Neralić for outstanding contribution to the development of sports at the local level, adopting at the same time the Ordinance of the said Award and the Invitation for Proposals, as early as one day later the said decisions entered the process of their realization. The Award will be presented each year as a Lifetime Award to individuals or associations that contributed to the development of sports at the local level in a 25-year or longer period of time. It implies that individuals are older than 60 and legal entities - over 25 years.

Zagreb, March 20, 2019 - Vice President of the Croatian NOC and President of the Croatian Gender Equality in Sport Commission Morana Paliković Gruden is the European winner of the International Olympic Committee’s Women and Sport Trophy. The awarding ceremony was held in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday at the United Nations building in New York and this year's World Award winner is Po Chun Liu, the first baseball judge in the Chinese city of Taipei.

Lisbon, 18 December 2018. - Yesterday the National Olympic Committee of Portugal has closed a successfully organised meeting of partner organisations on the European project entitled "Investments in Sport" (iSport).The meeting was held on 17 December 2018 at the facilities of the Pousada Hotel in Lisboa, Portugal. The National Olympic Committee of Portugal was represented by the NOC Research and Project Office Director Rita Nunes, and the meeting was led by the iSport lead researcher Guenther Grohall, representative of the SportsEconAustria Institute for Sport Economy, and one of the most prominent researchers in the field.

Zagreb, February 9, 2019 - The Croatian NOC (HOO) published its press release in which the President of the Croatian NOC Zlatko Mateša reacted on a Saturday’s incident at Split's waterfront, when the water polo players of Belgrade’s Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) were attacked. "In the name of the Croatian Olympic Committee and the entire Croatian Sports Family I strongly condemn this hooligan act that has nothing to do with sports. The attack on athletes from other country, who have only come to fulfill their club's obligations, does not belong into the same sentence as Split, which we call 'the most sporty city in the world'.

Zagreb, February 7, 2019 - The 43rd Congress of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) was held in Rome, where elections for the Executive Committee were held and the former member of the leading UEFA’a body, the President of the Croatian Football Association (HNS) Davor Šuker, was elected to a new four-year mandate. Šuker was first elected in 2015, and now - among the ten candidates - he was elected to one of the eight positions, with as many as 47 votes out of 55 member states (there were 53 valid voting slips).

Zagreb, January 28, 2018 - In ten days, Sarajevo and Eastern Sarajevo are hosting the 14th edition of the Winter EYOF, that is, the Winter European Youth Olympics Festival (9-16 February 2019), which will feature ten Croatian female and male athletes aged 14 to 18 years. In the Alpine skiing, our star-of-hope-representative is Tvrtko Ljutić and in the Nordic version Marko Skender (cross-country skiing) and Karlo Kunštek (biathlon). Maja Ivandić and Stribor Suman will compete in short track speed skating, while Hana Cvijanović will be our only representative in figure skating. The most numerous Croatian aces are in curling - Irena Grgić and Katarina Čar and Marin Kaspret and Sven Prinčić.

Zagreb, January 8, 2018 - The 9th IOC International Athletes' Forum, i.e. - the meeting of representatives of the NOC  Athletes’ Commissions from around the world will be held in Lausanne from April 13 to 15, 2019. The organizer is the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the main topic of the Forum will be the exchange of experiences and preparatory activities for the implementation of the IOC Athletes’ Commission Work Strategy, adopted last year.

Zagreb, November 28th, 2018 - Most of 200 young coaches and sports workers who applied for participation, attended the two-day Annual Congress of Coaches organized by the Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO) at the Zagreb hotel Panorama.

Zagreb, November 16, 2018 - The celebrated Split sailor, 34-year-old Olympian Ivan Kljaković Gašpić, was elected as Croatian representative for a prestigious international educational program – the New Leaders Sport Leadership Programme.

Zagreb, November 5, 2018 - The Romanian delegation, led by the Custodian of the Romanian Crown, Her Majesty Princess Margareta and her husband, His Royal Highness Prince Radu, attended the reception at the Croatian Olympic Committee (COC), held on Monday, November 5, 2018. In conversation with the President of the Croatian Olympic Committee, Zlatko Mateša, the topics on the organization and status of sports in the two countries were prevalent, as well as on the cooperation of the two National Olympic Committees, which was specified in the Contract closed in 2009.

Prague, October 26, 2018 - Olympic Festival is the tool of the future and recognized as such by the International Olympic Committee - could be heard in Prague at the recently completed conference of project participants, male and female representatives of seven National Olympic Committees (Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, France , Belgium, the Netherlands and Finland and the region of South Bohemia).

Zagreb, October 23, 2018 - The overall Croatian women's sports should be provided with better conditions – states a brief conclusion of the members of Croatian Olympic Committee’s Council at its 20th session, held in Zagreb under the chairmanship of the COC’s Head, Zlatko Mateša. The reason for this conclusion was the agenda’s point on the new Croatian Olympic Committee’s Development program with the task of encouraging the rather deficient female team sports of younger age categories.

Zagreb, October 19, 2018 – The Croats are particularly fond of Summer Olympics, held in Ciudad de Mexico in 1968, because they brought us two Olympic medals won by the swimmer Đurđica Bjedov, the popular Đuke. The first was the most shiny one– gold medal, won on October 19, 1968. So, on this date, exactly fifty years ago, we have won the first Croatian single Olympic gold.

Lausanne, August 8, 2018 - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Wednesday the news on composition of the IOC commissions for 2018. The emphasis is on progress in the fight for gender equality.

Zagreb, August 4, 2018 - Shooter Anton Glasnović, winner of silver in Trap at the European Championships in Austrian city of Leobersdorf, gave us a great overture into a successful weekend of Croatian athletes.European Vice-Champion hit in the finals 44 out of 50 goals, two less than the winner, Slovenian Boštjan Maček (46/50). Czech Jiri Liptak took the third place. This is the first European medal for Anton Glasnović, World Vice-Champion in 2013.

Lausanne, July 20, 2018 – The Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO) received nice news came from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters in Lausanne. Taekwondoka Nikita Glasnović, who decided to change her sports citizenship last year and - after her native Sweden - to perform for Croatia, officially gained the right to perform for Our Beautiful Homeland at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2020.

Zagreb, June 23, 2018 – On June 23, the Croatian Olympic Family celebrated the International Olympic Day, which celebrates this year its 70th anniversary, through a series of sports matches and events throughout Croatia.

Zagreb, June 5, 2018 – The President of the Croatian Olympic Committee and member of the European Olympic Committees’ Executive Board, Zlatko Mateša, was presented the award “Power brands – Hall of Fame” in London last weekend.

Zagreb, April 4, 2018 – Seven years ago, the Sports Television (SPTV), owned by the Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO), started its national broadcasting in terrestrial network.

Zagreb, January 27, 2018 - Under the slogan "Museums and Sport", this year's edition of the event Night of Museums began symbolically at the sports hall of the Zagreb Gymnastics Club (ZTD) Hrvatski sokol (Croatian hawk).Even more symbolic was the appearance of the World Gymnastics Champion Tin Srbić in the sports hall where he was "laying foundations" for the greatest success of the Croatian gymnastics. The exhibition on the activity of the association Hrvatski sokol was held at the ZTD, which is actually a branch office of the Croatian Sports Museum, since recently headed by the agile Director Danira Bilić, who has presented – through a very inspirational speech - the richness of the sport's museum legacy. The opening of the Night of Museums was attended, among numerous officials and representatives from sports, culture and other social activities, led by Zvonko Kusić, Head of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU) and the Croatian Olympic Committee representatives - President Zlatko Mateša and Vice-President Morana Paliković Gruden.Many other museums also gave "sports spirit" to this year's event, so the Croatian History Museum put the focus on the boxing match of legendary Mate Parlov and the Argentine Miguel Angelo Cuello that took place some forty years ago. Throughout the night, everybody could watch the said famous match on the video wall, while the museum walls featured newspaper articles from that time ...The Night of Museums has clearly shown the importance of sports in the Croatian society to more than one hundred visitors through around one hundred museums and galleries throughout our Beautiful homeland. (coc/vk)

Lausanne, January 20th, 2018 - Following the invitation of the International Olympic Committee, the fourth meeting between the NOC delegation of the Republic of Korea, led by the President Lee Kee-heung and Minister of Culture, sports and tourism, Do Jong-hwan and NOC delegation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (the so-called North Korea), led by the NOC’s President and Minister of Sport Kim ll Guk, was held at the IOC’s headquarters in Lausanne, in the Olympic spirit of respect and friendship.In the company of the host, the IOC’s President Thomas Bach, the first person responsible for the organization of the Winter Olympics Pyeongchang 2018 (POCOG), Lee Heebee, also attended the meeting that resulted in the Olympic Korean Peninsula Declaration. This great victory of Olympism implies the participation of the North Korea’s NOC delegation and joint activities with the host of Winter Olympics 2018, the NOC of the Republic of Korea. In the decision on the participation of North Korean NOC’s athletes at the Winter Olympics 2018 - the International Olympic Committee has approved accreditations for 22 athletes, 24 officials and 21 media representatives. The International Olympic Committee has accepted the proposal on participation of two sports delegations at the opening ceremony under the joint name "Korea". The delegation will enter the Olympic Stadium with the Korean unification flag (with the emblem of the island), carried by two athletes, one from each NOO. The International Olympic Committee has also decided to allow two National Olympic Committees to form - for the first time in their Olympic history - a joint representation in a sport. The joint female ice hockey team will be formed by adding 12 players and one North Korean coach to the existing 23-player Olympic team of the host. With regard to fair play, only 22 players will participate in the game, as is the case with all the Olympic teams. The main coach, responsible for selecting of athletes, will be from South Korea. He will include at least three hockey players from North Korea's NOC in every match. The united women's ice hockey team will present itself under the Korean unification flag and perform as Korea (COR) and the hymn will be the song "Arirang". In all other sports, the athletes will compete for their NOCs in their own jerseys.The International Olympic Committee has awarded a dozen additional quotas to the North Korean athletes in figure and speed skating, cross-country and alpine skiing.The athletes and delegation from North Korea will arrive at the Olympic Village no later than February 1st, 2018 and they will, like all the athletes participating at the Olympics, undergo the anti-doping testing. (ioc/coc/vk)

The 65th edition of Olimp magazine brings an abundance of interesting sports reads, with report on the Great Day of Croatian Sport and presentation of achievements/results( in 2017 as one of its central topics. In the Olympic legends section, the guest is the handball Olympian Mirko Bašić, the ideal collocutor in days prior to the handball "fever" and hosting the Euro 2018, while the judoka Helena Vuković, Cadet World Champion (+70 kg), is presented as an Olympic hope.