For the 30th jubilee, the Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO) organized the final annual ceremony – the Big Day of Croatian Sports, with the awarding of awards to the most successful female athletes, sportsmen and coaches of the year ending and deserving sports officials for life’s work.
Croatian Olympic Committee athlete of the year category, like last year, went to the owner of world and European bronze (-70 kg), two-time world champion Barbara MATIĆ.
The Matija Ljubek award, which the HOO awards to sports deserving people for lifetime achievement, was given to the honorary president of the Croatian Judo Federation, Tomislav ČULJAK.
Among judokas, the most famous name was certainly the name of the Croatian national football team, which took the title of the most successful Croatian men’s sports team.
Continuing the innovative trend, first introduced last year, the best male and female athletes from non-Olympic sports/disciplines paraded across the stage of the Crystal Hall of The Westin Zagreb Hotel, and the women’s national team from the non-Olympic sport of karate is practically the team of the year in both categories.
This year, the President of the HOO, Zlatko Mateša, decided that only the laureates would speak at the ceremony, so his welcoming speech from the position of host was also absent.
The Croatian Olympic Committee ceremony was also attended by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej PLENKOVIĆ, line minister Nikolina BRNJAC, representative of the President of the Parliament Žarko TUŠEK, member of the IOC Kolinda GRABAR KITAROVIĆ, EJU Vice President Hrvoje LINDI and numerous other dignitaries.
Judoka
Author: Mario Krvavac