21st Croatian Youth Sports Games start

The 21st edition of the Croatian Youth Sports Games started in the northern town of Prelog on Friday, and the Games were formally opened by Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, who was accompanied by a prominent retired middle distance runner, Branko Zorko, former world and Olympic skiing champion Janica Kostelic, and local officials.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Plenkovic commended the "excellent initiative" that has been brought together about a million young people over the past 21 years. He praised the initiators of the project, the brothers Zdravko and Slaven Maric.

The brothers launched the games in Split in 1996 with the aim of making it possible for Croatian primary and secondary-school children to participate in free sport competitions during summer holidays.

The finals of these competitions are held in the summer in Split. In terms of the number of participants, the Games are the biggest amateur sports event in this part of Europe. In 2011, the Games were given a regional character and the first country other than Croatia to organise them was Bosnia and Herzegovina. This year plans are being made to include Serbia in organising the Games.

Text: Hina