October 22, 2021 - The 53rd Golden Pirouette international skating competition will be held from December 8 to 11 at the Zibel Ice Hall in Sisak. For the first time in the 54-year history of this competition, the Golden Pirouette will be held outside Zagreb.
As the Ice Hall at the Zagreb Sports Hall has been out of order since the Zagreb earthquake, for the first time since 1967, and the first edition of the Golden Pirouette skating competition, Zagreb will not be the host, reports T.portal.
Across its over five-decade-long history, many international skaters have visited Zagreb and many have made their debut in the competition program in the Croatian capital. Fortunately, only the host city has changed this time around, and the Golden Pirouette will go on!
Thus, this year's edition of the legendary skating competition will be held in Sisak from December 8 to 11, 2021.
"Sisak was also damaged in the earthquake, but the local Ice Hall is newer, and there is no damage, so we had the option to come here or postpone the competition. With the help of the City of Sisak and the Sports and Recreation Center, we managed to solve all the technical issues needed to organize this competition, and we are glad that the people of Sisak will enjoy top skating," said Morana Paliković Gruden, president of the Croatian Skating Federation and vice president of the COC.
"I hope that this is the beginning of cooperation between Sisak and the Croatian Skating Federation and that the Golden Pirouette will attract visitors, but also encourage many Sisak citizens to get into ice sports. That is why we built the Ice Hall," added the mayor of Sisak Kristina Ikić Baniček.
The best competition is expected at this year's event as well, mainly because there are fewer skating competitions due to the pandemic. Many will use Sisak as an opportunity to qualify for the World Championship, which is scheduled for January 2022.
Five to seven Croatian competitors will perform at the first Golden Pirouette in Sisak, including the promising Croatian sports pair Lana Petranović and Antonio Suza.
Given the poor condition of the Zagreb Sports Hall, it is to be expected that the Zagreb Snowflakes Trophy will be held in Sisak from February 3 to 5, which they are working on intensively.
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