Great news for the City of Split and Croatian water polo!

Croatia, and particularly the City of Split, has been chosen to organize the European Water Polo Championship in 2022, the European Water Sports Organization (LEN) decided at a session held in Amsterdam on Saturday, reports Gol.hr on October 13, 2018. 

This will be Croatia’s second time hosting the European Championship in the water polo after Zagreb hosted the competition in 2010.

The European Championship will be held at the Spaladium Arena where a swimming pool will be installed.

"This is a great thing for Croatian sports and for the City of Split as well. We have enough time to prepare and I think we will arrange it extraordinarily and that we will enjoy the fantastic championship and, of course, we hope for medals for our team," said the newly elected president of the Croatia Water Polo Federation, Mladen Drnasin.

Russia, France, and Malta competed against Croatia for a chance to host the championship in 2022, but Croatia, with the support of the Government, the City of Split, the County, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, and SDUŠ, was convincingly chosen as the winner. 

"Fantastic news from Amsterdam. We just finished the LEN session where our new President Mladen Drnasin presented the offer of the City of Split as the host. After the fantastic organization in Zagreb and the gold medals won in 2010, and the outstanding success of Croatian water polo in recent years, we received a sensational opportunity to organize a big competition in, as the people of Split lot to say, the biggest sporting city in the world. We have enough time to prepare for this event and present it in the best possible way,” emphasized HVS vice-president Perica Bukić.

“We have invested a lot of effort and wish to thank everyone who supported us, from the Government to the City through the County, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and the SDUŠ. The European Federation recognized Croatia and its work in all organizations since the European Championship in 2010. This will be a great event for the City of Split in the middle of the season, and we hope for a full Arena and a big party,” concluded Predrag Sloboda, the now the vice-president of the HVS.