ZAGREB, Dec 28, 2020 - Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) director Krunoslav Capak said on Monday 443 medical staff and 1,711 retirement home residents were vaccinated against COVID-19 on Sunday, the first day of vaccination in Croatia.

Speaking at a press conference of the national COVID-19 response team, Capak said the vaccine would not be available to family doctors before the second half of January, when the Moderna vaccine was expected and the vaccination of older people would begin.

"The Moderna vaccine can stay in a regular fridge for 30 days, whereas the Pfizer vaccine can stay only five days. We believe that will make the work of family doctors considerably easier," he said, adding that the HZJZ wanted to spare them during the current first stage of immunisation with the Pfizer vaccine.

Capak said the HZJZ and the Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices had received no reports of any side effects following yesterday's vaccination.

Alemka Markovic, director of Zagreb's Dr Fran Mihaljevic Hospital for Infectious Diseases, said two staff at the hospital had "mild rashes without any consequences" and that it was being established if anything other than the vaccine could have caused them.

Capak said another 7,800 doses would arrive this week, in eight boxes with 975 doses each, and that another 18 boxes would arrive next week.

Speaking of the vaccination campaign, he said the national COVID-19 response team had no intention of convincing anyone, rather they would inform people of the benefits via timely, precise, accurate and expert information.

Capak said the campaign began with media statements by vaccination experts and several conferences, and that a media campaign was being prepared. "We assume that a stronger media campaign will begin early in January."

He said the national response team's members would not be vaccinated on camera because the first doses were symbolic and being utilised for those most in need. "As soon as we get larger quantities, we will organise vaccination," he said, adding that vaccination points or mobile teams would be organised if necessary.

Speaking of the coronavirus infection incidence, Capak said that in the week of December 22-28 there were 48% fewer cases than the week before. "Yesterday's 14-day incidence per 100,000 population was 710.5 for Croatia. Medjimurje County has the highest incidence, 1,112, while Dubrovnik-Neretva County has the lowest, 235."

According to the World Health Organization methodology, ranking EU27 countries from lowest to highest incidence, Croatia is 23rd as to the 14-day incidence and 18th as to the seven-day incidence.

"The mortality rate per million population places us at 19 among the EU's 27 countries with a rate of 874.8," said Capak.

ZAGREB, Dec 28, 2020 - The Ministry of Agriculture on Monday appealed to citizens to try and reduce the amount of food thrown out during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

The festive season is a time of giving and plenty when we prepare and consume a great amount of food and drink, the ministry underscored, noting that rarely do people eat everything they bought and prepared.

Surveys have shown that about 53%, or even up to 70% according to some surveys, of food thrown out comes from households, the ministry said in a press release.

The ministry hence recalled that it had launched a series of activities during the year aimed at raising awareness among consumers regarding the problem of excessive food waste in Croatia, with the purpose of changing habits and behaviour with food in households, the workplace, in schools, in stores or in restaurants.

The ministry appealed to citizens to try and reduce the amount of food wasted in each household during the festive season by applying a series of pointers, such as planning shopping lists and rational buying without creating unnecessary stores.

"Let's be socially sensitive throughout the year and share groceries and surplus food with those in need," the ministry underlined.

The ministry recalled that reducing the amount of food waste means decreasing household costs and that contributes to a personal feeling of satisfaction because food is not being thrown away. 

The ministry called on citizens to participate in trying to achieve the goal of halving the amount of food wasted by 2030.

December the 28th, 2020 - It seems that 2020 wants to end things how it began, with an earthquake. Following a truly horrendous year which kicked off in Croatia with an earthquake in Zagreb and the beginning of a terrible coronavirus epidemic, yet another earthquake shook Petrinja, Zagreb and other areas this morning. Damir Trut of the National Civil Protection Headquarters has spoken out following the quake.

The current anti-epidemic regime which requires Croatia's residents to secure passes (propusnice) with good reason in order to travel in and out of the county in which their permanent place of residence is registered has of course been a question mark above the heads of those who live in affected areas like Petrinja, who for material reasons, may not be able to remain at home following this morning's earthquake and accompanying aftershocks.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Damir Trut, Assistant Minister of the Interior and Director of the National Civil Protection Headquarters, told N1 that all residents of Sisak, Petrinja and the surrounding areas affected by the earthquake will be able to get passes without any issue if their homes have become unsafe as a result of the quake and if they need to travel for medical purposes.

''As soon as possible, passes will be created and given out for all those who no longer have the opportunity to remain living in the area, have properties in other areas they can go to, and for those who want to travel elsewhere to stay with their families,'' said Damir Trut, adding that such questions haven't yet come about, but they're likely to at some point given the situation which occurred this morning.

''This is a reason which is more than suitable for the issuing of the necessary passes. Those who are coming from Zagreb who need to visit their parents or come and take a look at any damage to properties, are free to do so,'' he added.

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ZAGREB, Dec 28, 2020 - Civil Protection director Damir Trut said on Monday nine structural engineers went to Sisak and Petrinja to assess the state of buildings following this morning's strong earthquakes.

Speaking to the press, Trut said "all human resources," including firefighters and Civil Protection members, "are on the ground, assisting the population. There is no major construction damage and no one has been injured."

153,000 passes for intra-county travel issued

Speaking of passes for travel between counties that have been introduced as part of COVID-19 measures, Trut said the civil protection authorities of the City of Zagreb, Zagreb County and Sisak-Moslavina County were advised to prioritise applications from people who needed to check the state of their property or visit relatives after the quakes.

He added that applicants must comply with COVID measures.

Trust said more than 153,000 passes had been issued to date. He added that 148,000 applications had been made via the e-Propusnica system, with 80,000 granted and 65,000 rejected, as well as 150,000 via e-mail, with 73,000 passes issued.

ZAGREB, Dec 28, 2020 - In the past 24 hours 316 new coronavirus cases have been registered in Croatia and 68 COVID-19 patients have died, the national COVID-19 response team said on Monday.

The number of active cases is 8,036, including 2,720 hospitalised patients, of whom 256 are on ventilators.

Since February 25, when the new virus was first reported in Croatia, there have been 205,246 cases of infection, 3,739 COVID-19 deaths and 193,471 recoveries, including 2,245 in the past 24 hours.

Currently 30,780 persons are self-isolating. To date 996,935 persons have been tested for coronavirus, including 2,642 in the past 24 hours.

December 28, 2020 – President Zoran Milanovic and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković visited Sisak and Petrinja after a series of earthquakes hit the area this morning.

This morning, around 6.28 am, the area of Sisak and Petrinja was hit by a 5,2 magnitude earthquake. After a few weaker tremors, just before 8 am, two stronger blows followed, with magnitudes of 4.7 and 4.1 on the Richter scale.

President Zoran Milanović and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković came to Sisak and Petrinja to support their fellow citizens. Prefect of Sisak-Moslavina County Ivo Žinić and Mayor of Sisak Kristina Ikić Baniček informed them of the situation in Sisak.

They were accompanied by Deputy Prime Ministers and Ministers Davor Božinović and Tomo Medved, as well as Minister of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets Darko Horvat and Minister of Health Vili Beroš.

'No house in the villages that are not damaged'

Žinić said there are no casualties.

"No one was injured, there is no damage to industrial plants, but the Gavrilović factory has a large amount of ammonia, and it will have to be checked in detail. The damage is in the center of Sisak on buildings. Plaster has fallen off, bricks have fallen on some buildings. The second earthquake did more damage. The first one seems to have moved some things a bit, and there is no house in the villages that are not damaged. The damage is not even close to the damage that was in Zagreb, but it is the roofs where people live," said Sisak-Moslavina County Prefect Ivo Žinić.

Mayor Ikić Baniček said there had been over 100 firefighter interventions since the morning. They had one situation where they had to place one family in another facility because their apartment was damaged.

Prime Minister Plenković emphasized that all services will be available to the citizens and said that luckily the earthquake did not leave any major damage.

"I am glad that we are here. We came to support our fellow citizens. As the year was, so it ended. Here is the Civil Protection, the Croatian army, and they will help. I also spoke to the Mayor of Zagreb, Milan Bandić. We already have experience. We will try to list the damages and help everyone to repair those damages," said the Prime Minister.

'We are here to help'

Milanović and Plenković toured Sisak and Petrinja together.

"The damage is significant in the buildings we visited, but the most important thing is that no one was injured. This was a pretty strong earthquake, and it's good that the aftershocks were less intense," said Plenković after visiting Petrinja.

He promised to create a legal framework to help the affected areas.

"We hope that it will be better next year. The state will react, of course. We are here to help," Plenković said.

President Milanović was not in the mood for statements.

"It was uncomfortable in Zagreb. It is human to be afraid. Fear is the biggest blow to people. And what was destroyed will be rebuilt. It is a smaller problem," Milanović said.

The Mayor of Petrinja, Darinko Dumbović, told them that he expects help from the state in repairing the damage, namely the "millions in his account tomorrow. "

Plenković said they would try to help Sisak, Petrinja, and other municipalities in Sisak-Moslavina County affected by the earthquake with all aid services.

"I hope that it will be better next year. I guess everything that should have happened badly happened in 2020," the Prime Minister concluded and expressed his condolences to all those whose houses were damaged.

Sources: Večernji.hr, Jutarnji.hr, Dnevnik.hr

To read more about news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

December 28, 2020 - Croatian sport 2020: a look at some of the top sporting moments in this pandemic year. 

To say 2020 was a strange year for sport would be an understatement. Plagued with COVID infections, canceled competitions, and empty stadiums, athletes worldwide were forced to adapt, stay in form, and hope for a better tomorrow. 

The Croatian Olympic Committee revealed that out of the planned 1,089 competitions in 2020, only 230 (or 21%) were ultimately held. But that didn't stop Croatian athletes from showing why there are among the best in the world, even in this abnormal year. 

And in 2020, Croatian athletes won 93 medals at major competitions across all ages - 26 gold, 26 silver, and 41 bronze.

A look at some of the top sporting moments in Croatian sport 2020

Croatia men's handball team win European silver

2020 opened with an incredible run by the Croatia men's handball team at the 2020 European Championships, held for the first time in three countries – Austria, Norway, and Sweden.

Croatia met Spain for their eighth major final ever and third European Championship final and was after the gold, which was the only color missing from their collection of European medals. In front of 10,000 Croatian fans in Stockholm, Croatia fell short against Spain (22:20) and took home the silver medal instead. 

Croatia captain Domagoj Duvnjak was named the player of the European Championship final and the MVP of the entire competition.

In Croatian sports fan fashion, thousands of citizens gathered at Ban Jelacic Square in Zagreb the following day to welcome the Croatia handball team and congratulate them on a job well done. 

Croatia men's water polo team took 4th place at the Euros

It was meant to be a big year for Croatia water polo, with the European Championships in Hungary, a potential Olympic qualifying tournament in Rotterdam, and Tokyo Olympics on the agenda. 

The Croatia men's water polo team kicked off 2020 with the European Championships in January and was a favorite for the gold medal after making the European final three times before (and winning in 2010). Croatia did advance to their ninth semifinal in 14 appearances at the European Championships, but was shocked by Spain and ultimately lost to Montenegro in the match for the bronze medal in Budapest. 

With a better result, Croatia would have automatically qualified for the Olympic Games but will play the final qualifying tournament in February 2021 to secure a spot in Tokyo! 

Tonci Stipanovic won the bronze at the Laser World Championships in Melbourne

After five days of sailing, Croatian sailor and JK Mornar member Tonci Stipanovic won the bronze medal at the Laser World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, back in February. A total of 42 sailors sailed in the Golden Group, with JK Mornar Split members securing the 3rd and 10th place in the competition. 

Stipanovic's result was so impressive that the Croatian Olympic Committee named him the male athlete of the year in December! 

Croatian football came together for COVID-19 and Zagreb earthquake 

In March, COVID-19 swept across Europe and escalated, especially in neighboring Italy. The coronavirus pushed Croatia into its first lockdown as restaurants, bars, and cafes closed indefinitely, and arenas around the country prepared for the worst-case scenario. With everyone at home unsure of what was to come next, an earthquake devasted Croatia's capital. 

Croatian football, from the national team to club fan groups, came together to help those most in need during this devastating time.

The Croatia national football team raised HRK 4.2 million for the fight against the coronavirus and to rehabilitate Zagreb after the earthquake.

Together with the Red Cross City Society, Dinamo Zagreb fan group Bad Blue Boys launched the Blue Heart Action to help the elderly, infirm, and chronically ill citizens in Croatia by bringing them food and medicine so that they didn't have to be exposed to COVID-19. Around 500 group members arrived in front of Jordanovac after receiving a message to help only 30 minutes before.

Hajduk Split fan group Torcida aided in Križine Hospital's first-ever move to Firule Hospital, as Križine prepared to accommodate those with respiratory problems caused by the coronavirus. Torcida helped move all institutes, clinics, and departments from one hospital to the other. 

A humanitarian action to help KBC Split combat the coronavirus pandemic called "Breathe as One," organized by HNK Hajduk and "Bilo srce," raised HRK 870,003.59, with a total of 487 individuals, associations, and companies participating.

And that's only part of it. 

Croatian water polo legend Ratko Rudic ended his coaching career

After an impressive coaching career that spanned almost four decades, the most celebrated Croatian water polo coach decided he's had enough in May this year. 

The former Croatia national team coach won nearly everything he could during his admirable career. He planned to say goodbye by raising the Champions League trophy with Pro Recco, but the coronavirus pandemic had other plans. 

Rudic had won 67 medals, both playing and coaching, of which ten were with the Croatia national team from 2005 to 2012. 

Shortly after he retired, one of the world’s most respected and serious media outlets, The Wall Street Journal, featured Rudic in an article titled “The World's Greatest Coast is Not Who You Think." 

Adria Tour fail

While the intentions may have been good, the debut Adria Tour tennis tournament in Zadar, hosted by Novak Djokovic and Goran Ivanisevic, among others, didn't quite go as planned. But that was probably to be expected, given the COVID-19 pandemic was nowhere near over in June when the tournament was held. 

However, the tournament did manage to get to the final, in which Novak Djokovic and Andrey Rublev were supposed to meet. Unfortunately, Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov, who played one match in the Zadar tournament, tested positive for the coronavirus, forcing the tournament to end immediately. 

Even so, Zadar was declared the 2021 European City of Sport by ACES Europe

The City of Zadar won thanks to its sports infrastructure, recreation and sports programs intended for citizens of all ages, encouragement to play sports, and experience organizing prestigious international sports competitions. Zadar made the first online candidacy in this award's history, which has been awarded since 2001 and was among the first to receive results.

In 2021, Zadar will carry out numerous activities with the European City of Sport's signature, all to enter the narrower competition or win the title of the best among the selected.

Former Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic joined the International Olympic Committee

Former President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic was confirmed as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through a Zoom video ceremony in July. 

Grabar-Kitarovic was nominated by IOC President Thomas Bach and was elected by 86 votes to three.

Slobodan Kadic

“I am extremely honored to be a member of the IOC. This is not only my personal success but also a recognition of all the achievements of Croatian sport and excellent results of Croatian athletes, who represent our homeland in the world as a nation of great talents and hardworking people, who consistently promote the principles and values ​​of the Olympic Movement," said the former president after being confirmed. 

Rijeka secured its 6th Croatian Cup title 

Rijeka celebrated against Lokomotiva 1:0 in the final in Sibenik back in August thanks to the winning goal by Tibor Halilovic in the 76th minute. This was Rijeka's sixth cup title, while Lokomotiva is still without a trophy, suffering two defeats in the final.

The club that has won the Cup three times in the last four years proved once again they know how to seal the deal in crucial moments. 

Ivan Perisic won the triple crown with Bayern Munich

Croatia national team representative Ivan Perisic was an important part of the Bayern Munich team that won the Champions League final in Lisbon, thus continuing the incredible streak of Croatian footballers to achieve the same success. This is the eighth year in a row that Croatia has had a representative in the Champions League final. 

Bayern Munich also won the German National Championship and the National Cup, giving them the triple crown for the second time ever.  

Stipe Miocic became the best heavyweight MMA fighter of all time

In their third and final meeting, American legend Daniel Cormier was beaten by Croat-American Stipe Miocic at UFC 252, making Miocic the greatest heavyweight MMA fighter of all time.

The 37-year-old Croat began the fight as a two-time and existing heavyweight champion, having started his second reign when he defeated Cormier in August 2019 at UFC 241. He held the title for 26 months in his first reign, defending the belt a record number of three times before the American legend Cormier beat him in July 2018. In his decade-long career in UFC, he has scored 13 wins over 3 losses, although he subsequently went on to beat two of the three opponents who had succeeded against him.

Ivan Rakitic retired from the Croatia national team

After 106 appearances and 15 goals for the Croatia national football team, Ivan Rakitic decided to hang up his boots. The national team's vice-captain was one of the key players in Croatia's campaign for the World Cup silver in 2018 when he scored the decisive penalties in the victories against Denmark and Russia.

"Saying goodbye to the Croatia national team is the most difficult decision in my career, but I felt that this was the moment when I had to break and make that decision. I enjoyed every game I played for my homeland, and unforgettable moments from the World Cup will remain among my favorites. I am convinced that we still have a great team with a bright future ahead. I wish my friends and teammates all the international sports luck in the upcoming challenges, and they will have the biggest fan in me," said Ivan Rakitic on his farewell.

Sinkovic Brothers won the silver medal at the European Rowing Championships 

It wouldn't be a year of Croatian sport without Valent and Martin Sinkovic, better known as the Sinkovic Brothers, who won the silver (6.29.46) in the coxless pair final at the European Rowing Championships in Poznan, Poland.

The Sinkovic brothers won first place in their semifinal group with a three-second advantage over the Italian crew. They were first in all passing times (500, 1,000, and 1,500 meters), and convincingly reached the finals, where they were behind the Romanian team in first (6: 26.52), while the Italians came in third.

Torcida celebrated 70 years with a spectacular light show 

Torcida did not let the people of Split down when they promised a spectacle bigger than Hajduk's 100th birthday. Anyone that made it to midnight that night, and trust me, there were thousands, now have memories that will last a lifetime thanks to the flare-filled spectacle. 

And what a sight it was. 

At midnight, the sky lit pink when Torcida launched flares and fireworks high above to celebrate 70 years of their firm, the oldest organized fan group in Europe. Torcida alone was said to have some 8,000 flares for the event.

16-year-old Croatian skier Zrinka Ljutic achieved an excellent result in her first FIS Giant Slalom Race

Sixteen-year-old Zrinka Ljutic, a promising Croatian skier, achieved an excellent result in the first FIS giant slalom race of her career.

With a starting number 114, she finished the first run in 33rd place, and in the second run, she finished in 21st with the second-best time of the second run.

The FIS races are just below the World Cup races, in which the best skiers in the world participate, and in which the last Croatian representatives were Janica Kostelic, Ana Jelusic, and Nika Fleiss.

With this result, Ljutic won 51.36 FIS points, the most that any Croatian skiers won in their first FIS race. At the beginning of 2020, Ljutic became the best skier globally, winning as many as four gold medals at the strongest international competition for young skiers.

Croatia U-21 side secured a spot at the 2021 European Championships

After a turbulent but successful journey through the qualifications, the Croatia U-21 side advanced to the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championships!

After a huge victory against Lithuania in Pula (7:0) and Greece’s victory against Scotland (1:0), the young Vatreni won second place in the qualifying Group 4 for the European Championship back in November, and the results in other groups allowed them to place among the five the best runners-up.

Before the final round, Croatia was in a difficult, almost hopeless situation. After they played 2:2 in Scotland and the Czech Republic defeated Greece, it was clear that Croatia lost their chance for first place.

The only hope for qualifying for the Euros was to get through among the top five runners-up. However, coach Igor Bišćan's side did not depend only on themselves, but on other matches' outcome.

In the end, it all came together.

HNS

Croatia will thus play against Switzerland, Portugal, and France in Group C of the Euros next summer, one of the most difficult groups in this tournament.

Croatia national team maintained their spot in the UEFA Nations League elite group 

It was supposed to be a magical year for the 2018 World Cup finalists, who hoped to achieve another stellar result, this time at the Euros. But with the Euros postponed until next year and worrying defeats at the beginning of their Nations League campaign this season, we weren't too sure the euphoria of 2018 would linger.

With a fresh squad composed of many promising young talents, coach Zlatko Dalic had to experiment often to find a balance that worked, and it took a while to find a groove that Modric & Co. could manage.

Slobodan Kadic

Fortunately, even losing 3:2 to Portugal at Poljud Stadium in Split in their final Nations League match in November was enough to keep Croatia in 3rd place, and thus a spot in the competition's top group. 

Croatia has one hell of a year ahead, with 2022 World Cup qualifiers beginning in March before the postponed Euros take place in summer, where Croatia will meet England, the Czech Republic, and Scotland.

Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares were named the best doubles team in tennis

While 2020 wasn't the best year for our tennis stars, there is something we can be proud of - Croatian Davis Cup national team member Mate Pavic and Brazilian partner Bruno Soares were named the best tennis doubles team in the world this year.

Pavic and Soares unhappily finished the group stage at the final tournament in London and did not make it to the semifinals thanks to a worse set-quotient than the remaining two pairs with two wins and one defeat. They came to the O2 Arena with only a 35-point advantage over American Rajeev Ram and Briton Joe Salisbury.

However, with the defeat of Austrian Melzer and Frenchman Roger-Vasselin in the semifinals, Ram and Salisbury remained behind by 35 points, so Pavic and Soares became the best doubles team in the world for the second time in their careers. Pavic did it two years ago with Austrian partner Oliver Marach and Soares in 2016 with British partner Jamie Murray.

Nikola Mektic became the first Croatian to win the ATP Finals

Croatian doubles star Mektic and Dutch partner Wesley Koolhof won the ATP World Finals title after defeating Austrian Juergen Melzer and Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6:2, 3:6, 10:5 in the final match of the season.

The Croatian-Dutch duo arrived in London as the fifth seed among the eight best doubles teams of the season. On the way to the title, they lost only one match, the third in the group against Kubot and Melo when they had already secured a place in the semifinals.

Interestingly, it was their last match together because they will take on the tennis world with other partners next year. Mektic will thus join his Croatia teammate Mate Pavic.

This was their third final this year and their first title since they were defeated in Marseille and at the US Open. With this victory, Mektic became the first Croatian to win the title at the end of the ATP season. 

Croatia men's basketball team qualified for EuroBasket 2022

The Croatia men's basketball team celebrated 87:72 against Sweden in Istanbul in their fourth-round match of the 2022 European Championship qualifications in November. With their fourth victory in four games, they secured their spot at the EuroBasket in two years.

No matter how Croatia plays in the last two rounds against Turkey and the Netherlands, even if Croatia loses both games, they will finish in one of the top three places in Group D in the qualifiers, leading directly EuroBasket 2022.

The last qualifying round is scheduled for February 19-22, 2021, and three of the four national teams will win a place at EuroBasket, which will be held in 2022 (September 1-18). The hosts are the Czech Republic, Georgia, Italy, and Germany.

Filip Zubcic won the World Cup Giant Slalom in Italy 

Croatian skier Filip Zubčić won the giant slalom on Saturday in Santa Caterina, Italy, with a time of 2:15.06 and a 12-hundredth advantage over second-placed Slovenian skier Žana Kranjec.

The Croatian skier finished the first run in sixth place, and a fantastic second run secured him his second World Cup victory in his career. He was the only Croatian representative in Santa Caterina to take over the organization of the two giant slaloms from Val d'Isere, France.

This is Zubčić's best result this season and his second victory in the World Cup. Last season he won the giant slalom in Naeba, Japan, and also reached two other places (Hintestoder, Adelboden).

Dinamo Zagreb made European history 

The Europa League group stage finished at the beginning of December, which saw Dinamo finish at the top of Group K with four wins, two draws, and zero defeats. Dinamo advanced to the last 32 of the competition and made sure they wrote history along the way. 

Namely, Dinamo went the longest in the Champions League or Europa League group stages without conceding a goal. Dinamo did not concede a goal for 527 minutes this season. Manchester United was the last club to hold the record, going 482 minutes without conceding a goal in the 2010/11 Champions League group stage. 

Dinamo Zagreb will meet Krasnodar in the last 32 of the Europa League competition. 

Tin Srbic, Filip Ude, and Aurel Benovic won silver medals at the European Gymnastics Championships 

To no one's surprise, Tin Srbic defended his silver medal at the European Championships in Mersin, Turkey, winning on the horizontal bar with a score of 14,600. And he wasn't the only Croatian gymnast to take home a silver medal. 

Slobodan Kadic

It was the most successful European Championship for Croatian gymnasts because two more silver medals were won in the finals.

Filip Ude won silver on the pommel horse and repeated 2008 when he was also the European runner-up. In the same discipline, Robert Seligman took fourth place. Aurel Benovic also won the silver medal in his first European final in the floor exercise.

It should also be noted that Croatian gymnast Robert Seligman won the silver on the first final day of the World Cup in Szombathely, Hungary, back in October. In the pommel horse final, Seligman received 14,350 points, and only the Kazakh gymnast Nariman Kurbanov (14,600) was better than him to win the gold. Croatia's second finalist on the pommel horse, Filip Ude, finished 4th with 14,000 points just 0.050 points away from bronze.

Croatia women's gymnastics team also achieved a historic result at the European Championships

The Croatia women's gymnastics team fought in four finals at the European Championships in Mersin in December.

Tijana Korent, Ana Đerek, Christina Zwicker, Tina Zelčić, and Petra Furač fought in the Croatia team final. Korent performed on the vault and Zwicker on uneven bars and balance beam in the hunt for individual medals.

Croatian Gymnastics Federation

The Croatia women's gymnastics team's only individual final before this was achieved by Tijana Korent in the European Championships in Moscow in 2013. Seven years later, Tijana achieved another final, after she was eighth in the qualifiers with 13,383 points.

Excellent results in martial arts

It was a stellar year for Croatia's taekwondo stars, as Matea Jelic won the silver and Marko Golubic and Toni Kanaet won the bronze at the European Championships this year. 

Karla Prodan also won bronze at the European Judo Championships in Prague at the end of November, just a few days after winning silver at the European Junior Championships in Porec.

Barbara Matic, who won the gold medal at the Grand Slam Judo Tournament in Budapest this year, defeating World and Olympic champions along the way, became the first martial arts athlete to win the Sportske Novosti athlete of the year trophy.  Barbara Matic broke Sandra Perkovic's series of eight consecutive titles. Before that, the most successful Croatian Olympian Janica Kostelic won eight times, Blanka Vlasic has six trophies, and Iva Majoli four.

Croatia women's handball sensational success at the European Championships in Denmark

What a way to end the year! The Croatia women's handball team were underdogs at the Euros this year, shocking tournament favorites left and right. First, they beat Hungary, then defeated the world champions, the Netherlands, and Serbia to win Group C! 

In the second round, they topped Romania and wrote another beautiful page in handball history because they have never achieved four consecutive wins at the European Championships. Furthermore, Croatian had never defeated Romania at the European Championships, and in four games played before this, Romania won each time.

Even a loss against Norway, who went on to win the tournament, couldn't stop Croatia, who defeated Germany to advance to their first-ever European semi-final against France. 

Croatia lost to France but defeated Denmark in the match for third place, taking home their first European bronze medal! 

HRS

This is the first medal in the history of the Croatia women's handball team. 

Not so bad for a pandemic year. 

Illustration by Little Shiva

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

December 28, 2020 - Spanish national daily sports newspaper Marca has brought the Croatia captain back in the spotlight, stating that Luka Modric will stay at Real Madrid with a new contract until the end of June 2022.

The #10 Real Madrid jersey will remain in possession of the 35-year-old Croatia national team captain, Luka Modric, for at least another year and a half, until the end of June 2022, after verbally agreeing with the club's leaders on a new, one-year contract that he will soon sign, reported Marca.

The agreement between Modric and Real, which will allow the best Croatian footballer to spend the entire decade in Madrid, was quite simple compared to the negotiations with other stars of the Madrid club, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos.

Namely, the Croatian midfielder did not insist on a two-year contract and was ready to reduce his salary, which currently brings him 10 million euro a year. This will help the club overcome the economic difficulties caused by the pandemic, which took about 25 percent of total revenues from Real Madrid or around 200 million euro.

Although he will be close to his 36th birthday on the eve of the new season, Luka Modric is still in top form and makes a visible difference in Real's game when he is on the pitch, which made it easier for club leaders to continue cooperation.

At the insistence of the then Real coach Jose Mourinho, Luka Modric arrived in Madrid from Tottenham London on the penultimate day of the transfer window in August 2012 for 35 million euro. How correct Mourinho's assessment of Modric's quality is proved by looking at the Real Madrid trophy room, which during Modric's time at the club was enriched with four titles in the Champions League, two triumphs in the Spanish championship, one in the King's Cup, three European Super Cup and three FIFA World Club Champion titles.

Modric's current contract with Real, which is valid until the end of June 2021, was actually meant to last until June 30, 2020. However, as the captain of the current World Cup finalists was named the best player in the world in 2018, the club automatically activated another year. It secured Luka's 35th birthday celebration as a Real Madrid player.

Just how much Luka's age is a non-issue is also shown by the statistics of performances this season, in which he collected more than half of the minutes he received last season in the first three months. Although he spared Modric at the beginning of the season, Zinedine Zidane soon realized that his team has a better dynamic with Luka on the pitch, and Luka has collected 1410 minutes so far, which is 75 percent of the maximum possible minutes.

The only championship game he did not play was the last against Granada, which he missed due to tightening in the thigh muscle, which interrupted his series of ten consecutive games in the starting lineup. In that series, his level of play was extremely high, especially in games against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, in the city derby against Atletico, and against Eibar, when he scored in the 3-1 away victory.

There is no doubt that Modric, both this season and next, will be one of the mainstays in the tactical settings of Zinedine Zidane. At the same time, with his example and advice, he will be a mentor to 22-year-old Norwegian Martin Odegaard, who returned from loan at Real Sociedad, and whose football talent and abilities resemble the Croatia captain.

Source: HRT

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