Croatian Olympic Committee

Zagreb, June 7, 2019 - The world premiere of the documentary movie "Croatian Sports Legends - 120 years of Croatian Sports" was held in Cinestar’s completely full hall at Zagreb shopping mall Branimir Center. The famous Croatian director Jakov Sedlar with his associates, screenwriter Nina Škrabe and producer Anton Kikaše, summed up in this film our trophy and glorious sports history - from Olympic bronze of swordsman Milan Neralić at the Paris Olympics 1900 to last year's spectacular world silver of Croatian football players and our tennis players – winners of the World Champions title.

Zagreb, June 7, 2019 - In cooperation of the Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO) and the Croatian Sports Journalists Association (HZSN), the Communications Seminary with very interesting topics was held at the headquarters of the Croatian NOC. The Seminary was attended by fifteen representatives of the national sports federations and associations and staff of the CNOC PR & Multimedia Department. Following the greeting words of the CNOC President Zlatko Mateša and HZSN President Jura Ozmec, experienced Hina’s (Croatian News Agency) photojournalist and official cameraman of the Croatian Athletes at the European Games in Minsk and at the Tokyo Olympics Damir Senčar talked about digital photography (its design and application).

Lucerne, June 2, 2019 - At the European Rowing Championships (senior level) in Lucerne, the Golden Croatian Olympians in Double Sculls in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Martin and Valent Sinković, won a gold medal in Men’s  Coxless Pairs (M2-), while Luka Radonić (Lightweight Single Sculls) and Damir Martin (Classic Men’s Single Sculls) participated in the A finals but not fast enough to step onto the winning pedestal. In a rarely seen dominance and demonstration of rowing quality, the brothers Sinković had the race under control from the beginning to the end and triumphed with 6:22.460 minutes, ahead of Rumania with 6.24.530 and Spaniards with 6:26.310 minutes. Luka Radonić took the fourth place in Lightweight Single Sculls finals with a time of 7:06.490 minutes, which is more than four seconds behind for third-placed Italian Goretti.

Zagreb, May 18, 2019 - Our representatives in wildwater kayaking and canoeing once again confirmed Croatia's world power status in the non-Olympic discipline of sprint. At the newly completed ECA Wildwater Canoeing European Championships on the river Soča, between Kobarid and Bovec in the neighboring Slovenia, we have won three medals – Singles’ gold and two team bronze medals. The beginning was marked by Emil Milihram, a golden canoeist in  Single (C1), who triumphed for its sixth European Champion title.

Zagreb, May 19, 2019 - On the official website of the Croatian Water Polo Federation (HVS) on Sunday evening appeared the news, which we hoped would be a significantly different. The legendary captain of the Croatian National Water Polo Team, 28-year-old Sandro Sukno, announced the end of his active career. After a heart surgery in the USA and a prolonged postoperative period, there was a quiet mentioning of such a possibility, but there was also a hope that one of the best Croatian water polo players of all time will return to the sports in which he is excellent, brilliant, unbeatable! Sandro explained everything in the statement:

Zagreb, May 23, 2019 - A five-member delegation from South Korea visited the Croatian Olympic Committee for the purpose of promoting taekwondo, as well as strengthening the cooperation with the fans of this sport in Croatia. The delegation was led by Shin Kinam, Special Envoy of the Korean Minister of Culture, Tourism and Sports. Guests from Korea were received by the President of the Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO) Zlatko Mateša, accompanied by the leader of the Korean-Croatian Business Club Zoran Horvat and former taekwondoka, coach and prominent taekwondo officer Tamara Pradegan. The Croatian ambassador to South Korea Damir Kušen assisted in the realization of this meeting and the main motive of the meeting is the wish of the World Taekwondo Federation (World Taekwondo) from Seoul for sports presentation in Rijeka – next year’s European Capital of Culture. Namely, since a cooperation agreement between World Taekwondo and the University of Rijeka was signed three years ago, the Korean government wants to use this prestigious status of the Croatian city in 2020 for a stronger promotion of taekwondo at the European level. The President of the Croatian Olympic Committee Mateša supported this Korean initiative and promised to help them in fulfilling another great wish – hosting Dalić's electees in the near future. Shin Kinam announced that this is a logical sequence given the popularity of Croatian football players in South Korea.   Of course, in addition to sports, Croatia is interested in cooperation in many other areas in South Korea. This is also confirmed by the composition of the delegation visiting our beautiful homeland. Shin Kinama was accompanied by the film producer Baek Hak Gi, professor of music at Na Jungyoon, official translator Redden Soonyoung and UPI reporter Lee Sang Bong. (cnoc/vk)

Osijek, May 26, 2019 - Gymnastics World Cup (DOBRO World Cup Osijek 2019) in the Osijek sports hall Gradski vrt brought Croatia two brightest medals. After Robert Seligman’s gold won on Saturday in Pommel Horse, on the second day of finals the best Croatian gymnast Ana Đerek won another gold medal. In the finals of the party, Ana brilliantly performed in Floor Wag and received a high score of 13,033, worth the first place. With the same number of points, the second was Ukrainian Angelina Radivilova who, despite a higher starting score, had a weaker performance than Ana.

Plovdiv, May 12, 2019 - The best Croatian rowers have proven to be very competitive at the premiere this season’s competition of the world rowing elite. At the first World Cup regatta in the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv, the Single Scull rower Damir Martin got back into the winning groove, the brothers Martin and Valent Sinković took second place in Coxless Pair, while the Lightweight Single Scull rower Luka Radonić was the first to step on the winning pedestal – in Saturday's program he won a bronze medal. Olympic Vice-Champion from Rio de Janeiro, Damir Martin, convincingly won the first place by being six and a half seconds better than the runner-up Belarusian Pilip Pavoukou, while the third was the Finnish Robert Ven.

Zagreb -April 30'th, 2019. – CoSport, the Official Hospitality Provider of the Croatian Olympic Committee, was formally announced as the Tokyo 2020 Authorised Ticket Reseller for Croatia. In this important role CoSport will work closely with the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee and Croatian Olympic Committee to help welcome fans to the next Olympic Games with a wide variety of ticket and package options. Demand for tickets is expected to be strong. The highly anticipated Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will take place less than 15 months from now, from July 24 to August 9, 2020.

Zagreb, April 6, 2019 - Croatian Sports Journalists Association (HZSN) celebrated the 70th anniversary of its operation at the Westin hotel in Zagreb and on that occasion presented awards for particularly valuable achievements in the past year. Among the laureates was the Head of the Croatian NOC’s Publishing, Public Relations and Web Department Radica Jurkin, who was presented the HZSN Award for Promoting Sports in Publishing After creating and bringing to life the news service Sportska Hrvatska back in 2012 and received for this project, together with Željko Erceg, the HZSN award, during 2018 Radica finished – with the Croatian NOC’s full support - a new capital project of Sports Library or officially the Croatian NOC’s Library.

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.

Zagreb, December 20, 2017 – During the traditional celebration of the Great Day of Croatian Sport, held in the Crystal Hall of the Westin hotel in Zagreb, the Croatian Olympic Committee declared the most successful female and male athletes and coaches in the year reaching its end and presented valuable recognitions to the most deserving ones.

Zagreb, December 8, 2017 - Following the agreement signed last year with the Cuban Olympic Committee on cooperation and exchange of experiences and experts in the field of sports, the President of the Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO) Zlatko Mateša hosted Cuban Ambassador Juan Antonio Fernandez Palacios and his associates.

Zagreb, November 25, 2017 - The closing day of the 46th General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) passed by in presentations of this year's and future sports events under the auspices of the EOC. It was a logical continuation of the spectacular Olympic presentations - Pyeongchang 2018, Tokyo 2020, Winter Olympics Beijing in 2022 and 2024 in Paris, the hosting city of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad.

Zagreb, November 24, 2017 - Four Olympic Association Presidents - Thomas Bach (International Olympic Committee), Janez Kocijančič (European Olympic Committees), Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah (ANOC - Association of National Olympic Committees) and Zlatko Mateša (Croatian Olympic Committee) opened with welcoming speech the 46th General Assembly of the European Olympic Committee (EOC), which began its two-day session this Friday in Zagreb.

Zagreb, November 22, 2017 - After Dubrovnik in 2004, Croatia is again the host of the European Olympic Committee’s (EOC) Assembly, this time on November 24 and 25, 2017 in the Crystal Hall of the Westin Hotel in Zagreb.

Zagreb, October 30, 2017 - Following the competition for two Croatian representatives in the European selection of young reporters, participants of IOC’s media training during the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Buenos Aires in 2018, the four-member board of the Croatian Olympic Committee and the Croatian Association of Sports Journalists (HZSN) has decided that our Our Beautiful Homeland will be represented by Simona Margetić from Koprivnički Bregi and Filip Ožbolt from Rijeka.

Zagreb, October 19, 2017 – Great Day of Croatian Sport, a traditional Croatian Olympic Committee's celebration at the end of another successful sports year, will be held on Wednesday, December 20th at the Crystal Hall of the Westin hotel in Zagreb, starting at 8 p.m..