September the 2nd, 2022 - The extraordinary assembly of the Crikvenica hotel group Jadran, which is backed by the Croatian pension funds PBZ/CO and Erste Plavi, gave the green light to the Management Board for the purchase of the Grand Hotel View in Postira on the island of Brac worth 47.1 million euros, equal to about 355 million kuna.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Ana Blaskovic writes, back on June the 1st of this year, Jadran took over the management of the controversial Postira hotel, which filled the newspaper columns while it was still under construction due to its size and the fact that it wasn't remotely in keeping with anything near it. It was then announced that by the end of the year, the contracting parties would agree on the terms of further business cooperation.

With the acquisition of a 100 percent share, Jadran now has 19 business entities in its portfolio, all of which are partly owned and partly managed. There are more than 2,000 accommodation units in hotels and resorts and over 1,300 pitches in camps. Although the stock market announcement of the purchase of the controversial Postira hotel aroused public interest, and not in a good way, the aforementioned Croatian pension funds didn't want to reveal the motives for the takeover.

They announced on Wednesday that with the new purchase of the business, they have successfully expanded to the islands of Central Dalmatia in addition to the Crikvenica-Vinodol and Makarska riviera, since five years ago the company was taken over by the Croatian pension funds PBZ Croatia osiguranje/insurance and Erste Plavi, who provided financial support.

"By purchasing Grand Hotel View, we've strengthened our ownership portfolio with another super modern, high-class facility in a beautiful location on the island of Brac, which contributes to a significant increase in our tourist offer and income, as well as our overall business results," said Jadran board member Ivan Safundzic, adding that the acquisition "directly contributes to the realisation of the national tourism development strategy across Croatia by increasing capacities in high-class hotel accommodation units".

Jadran assures that since the opening of the controversial Postira hotel, it has been extremely well occupied, with reservations looking good up until the end of the main season, as well as announcements for the post-season, and "extremely successful business results" are expected. It seems that, however, the Croatian pension funds would have to step in with an additional financial injection to Jadran given that, according to the media, the losses carried forward amount to 233 million kuna, and the group's total liabilities amount to a massive 455 million kuna in total.

The hotel on the site of the former sardine fish processing factory in Postira otherwise boasts 230 rooms and suites, swimming pools, wellness and spa and a congress hall on five above-ground floors with a garage. The main designer was Ivana Uroda with the architectural team of Ana Tomsic, Hrvoje Marinovic and Daniela Vugrinovic. At the end of the tourist season, work should begin on the doing up of the hotel's very own beach, which should, as has announced, increase the value and quality of the hotel's overall offer and be reflected in the development of Postira and the island of Brac as a whole with the creation of new jobs for the local population.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated business section.

May 25, 2022 - Jug Dubrovnik celebrated against Jadran Split in Game 4 on Tuesday night to become the 2021/22 Croatian water polo champion. 

Dubrovnik water polo club Jug AO thus won their 17th Croatian title on Tuesday night and 39th national champion title in total. It is also the 66th overall trophy for the club.

In the fourth game of this year's Croatian championship final playoff, Jug defeated Jadran Split on penalties at their pool in Gruž, thus ending the series with 3:1 for Jug.

The result was 6:6 after 32 minutes of play, forcing the match into penalties. All four Jug players were accurate with their shots, while Marin Delić and Jerko Marinić Kragić did not score for Jadran.

It was a meeting with few goals, dominated by goalkeepers on both sides, and Jug held a 5:4 advantage from the end of the third quarter until a minute and a half before the end of the match. Then, Konstantin Kharkov scored for 5:5, which was Jadran's first goal after almost 14 minutes of play. Rino Burić then gave Jadran a 6:5 advantage 35 seconds before the final buzzer, i.e., one step closer to the decisive fifth game.

However, Jug started the last attack with seven attackers, which paid off because Hrvoje Benić equalized for 6:6 nine seconds before the end. The game was then decided on penalties, as was the first game, and Jug was more successful in the shootout once again. 

Just before the Croatian champion medals and trophies were distributed, individual awards and trophies for the 2021/22 season were presented in Dubrovnik:

Jerko Marinić Kragić (Jadran)  was named the top scorer in the Croatian Championship (63 goals)

Toni Popadić (Jug) was named the best goalkeeper in the Croatian Championship

Konstantinos Kakaris (Jug) was named the best player in the Croatian Championship.

Congrats to both Jug and Jadran on a season well done!

Source: HVS

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February 10, 2022 - Jadran Split defeated the powerhouse Ferencvaros 9:7 in Split on Wednesday in the ninth round of the LEN Champions League. 

Jadran played excellently, showing their maturity and strength to record their third victory in the Champions League group this season.

Lineups

Jadran: Podrug, Burić (2), Marinić-Kragić (1), Čagalj, Z. Butić, Pejković, Bukić, Harkov (2), Delić, Dobud (3), Šetka (1), Dužević, Anić.

Ferencvaros: Szakonyi, V. Varga, Nyiri, Merkulov (2), Vamos (1), Ubović (2), Fekete, Vigvari, Nemet, Molnar, Jansik (1), Damonte (1), Vogel.

Recap

Jadran took the lead after five minutes of play, scoring with an extra man for 1:0. After a great save by goalkeeper Anić and a goal by Burić, Jadran was up 2:0.

Twelve minutes into the game, Dobud scored his second goal with an extra man and Jadran was up 3:0. Ferencvaros was unable to score thanks to Jadran's solid defense and several excellent saves by Mate Anić.

It was only in the 13th minute that Ferencvaros found the back of the net, with an extra man for 3:1. Already in the next attack, Merkulov was precise and the guests quickly came to minus one. They equalized at 3:3 with a minute until halftime with two extra players as both Butić and Čagalj were excluded. 

Šetka scored a fantastic goal for 4:3 and Marinić-Kragić lobbed the goalkeeper Vogel for 5:3 with eight seconds to go before the end of the quarter.

Burić scored for 6:3, and then Anić defended a dangerous Ferencvaros shot when they were up by two players. Dobud scored for 7:3 though Ferencvaros quickly started to turn things around.

Ubović scored, followed by a Merkulov penalty, and with two extra players, they were able to reduce the score to 7:5! But, 43 seconds before the end of the third quarter, Kharkov put Jadran forward thanks to a semi-counter and made the game 8: 5.

Ubović reduced the score again to -2 for 8:6, but Kharkov scored for 9:6 from an almost impossible angle. Ferencvaros reduced the score to 9:7, but the excellent Anić did not give them more than that. Jadran thus secured their third win in the LEN Champions League. 

Source: Dalmatinski Portal

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January 13, 2022 - The powerful Pro Recco, the current European champion, stumbled against Jug in Dubrovnik on Wednesday, thus suffering their first defeat in the LEN Champions League but also this season. Croatia's Sandro Sukno leads the celebrated Italian team.

Pro Recco came with a weakened squad, missing Echenique, Lončar, Bertoli, and Figlioli due to the coronavirus. On the other hand, Jug was in the strongest form without missing players.

Jug goalkeeper Toni Popadić had an incredible evening with several crucial saves when the result was equal. In the end, he recorded 14 successful interventions, which is anything but easy against a side this good. 

Marko Žuvela opened the match with an excellent goal from the left. However, Pro Recco turned the result to 3:1 relatively quickly. Kakaris first reduced the score, and then Argyropoulos equalized at 3:3 at the beginning of the second quarter. From that moment until the middle of the third quarter, it was mostly equal, or Recco led by one goal. Four and a half minutes before the end of the 3rd quarter, Argyropoulos increased the score to 7:5 for Jug, and left-hander Zalanki quickly reduced it to 7:6. Papanastasiou put Jug up at 8:6, and Fatović scored from a penalty for 9:6. Finally, Hrvoje Benić scored for 10:6 to end the 3rd quarter. 

With Ivović and Hallock goals, Recco reduced the score to 10:8, which Argyropoulos extinguished with a goal for 11:8. With less than 5 to go, goalkeeper Popadić defended all shots from the outside and 2 meters to give Jug the 11:8 win.

Standings: Pro Recco 18, Marseille 15 (-1), Jug AO 15, OSC 10 (-1), Waspo 98 Hannover 8, Spandau 04 4 (-1), C. Star 3 (-1), Steaua 3.

Next up - 8th round (January 25): Pro Recco - Jug AO, C. Star - Marseille, Waspo 98 Hannover - Steaua, and Spandau 04 - OSC.

In Tuesday's Champions League clash, Brescia narrowly beat Jadran Split 6:5. Jadran was without captain Andelo Šetka and Zvonimir Butić.

Standings: Brescia 17, Olympiacos 16, Ferencvaros 13, Barceloneta 11, Novi Belgrade 11, Jadran 6, Radnicki 4 and Dinamo 0.

Next up - 8th round (January 26): Jadran - Brescia, Novi Belgrade - Barceloneta, Radnički - Olympiacos, and Ferencvaros - Dinamo.

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ZAGREB, 30 Dec 2021 - Montenegro and Croatia have agreed to set up a joint commission to deal with the issue of the Jadran training ship, according to a Montenegrin government document on cooperation with neighbors.

Croatian officials have said earlier that the sailing ship should be returned to Croatia because its homeport is Split. The vessel left the port in 1991 to be overhauled in the Montenegrin port of Tivat and has remained thereafter the 1991-1995 war.

The Jadran training ship was used by the armies of Serbia and Montenegro, becoming an integral part of the Montenegrin Navy in 2006.

The Montenegrin government document, issued on Thursday, says that Montenegrin-Croatian relations are friendly and that since the renewal of Montenegro's independence, Croatia has provided continued political and expert support to the country in its European integration process.

During Foreign Minister Đorđe Radulović's visit to Zagreb in May, an agreement was reached to restore the intergovernmental committee on the protection of the respective ethnic minorities.

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December 20, 2021 - In the 30th season, and for the first time, the Jadran Split men's team took home the Croatian Water Polo Cup!

Jadran has won three European trophies (twice European champion, 1992 and 1993, and the Comen Cup), but nothing in domestic competitions, that is, until December 19, 2021, reports Slobodna Dalmacija.

In 2021, in the third Croatian Cup final and the third against Jug, the Jadran men's team finally tasted victory. While Jug was after their 17th cup and 66th trophy, in their 101st year, Jadran reached its 15th trophy in history, and the first cup, including the former state cup.

"A good entry into the game helped us later. Congratulations to our goalkeeper, Mate Anić. When he is in goal like this, we can't lose," Jadran captain Anđelo Šetka said after the game. 

Jadran jumped on Jug from the first second of the final, celebrating every good move in the attack and defense. They defended three times with an extra man, and in the first five minutes, they beat the Jug goalkeeper Toni Popadić three times.

It was 4:0 in the last minute of the first quarter, and 5:1 lead seven seconds before the first break. Between Jadran's fourth and fifth goals, Jug managed to score a penalty thanks to Stylianos Argyropoulos.

Entering the 10th minute of the final, Jerko Marinić Kragić shot for the 6:1 Jadran lead, Luka Bukić scored for 7:2, and Antonio Dužević scored for 8:2. 

"The desire for the trophy, a 28-year fast, resulted in this success in these four quarters of the final. There was a huge danger that we would not implode, and in the end, we exploded. Congratulations to the players. We deserved this celebration," said Jadran coach Mile Smodlaka, who as a player had a string of successes with Jug.

Jug had hope in the second half of the second quarter when they scored three goals. They had a 9:6 attack, but they made a mistake. As a result, the best for Jug in the final, Stylianos Argyropoulos, was excluded, and Zvonimir Butić (10:6) used that opportunity with an extra man.

In the third quarter, after three and a half minutes, Jug's net shook for the first time, and Jadran was up by 5. However, Jadran goalkeeper Mate Anić recorded eight saves. Jug's hope then diminished. Less than three minutes before the end of the third quarter, Marino Čagalj scored for 12:6.

Jug coach Vjeko Kobešćak congratulated Jadran on its success.

"Better in every way - psychologically calm, swimming strength, much smarter in defense, they also had a counterattack, and we did not respond to any of their actions. We were catastrophic in the final," Kobešćak emphasized.

"I don't know in what words to describe this. We were motivated by the fact that we had been without a trophy for so long. That carried us. This resulted in a game like this in the final. We have written history," Anić emphasized.

And the Jadran's women's team celebrated, too. 

While Mladost led 10:7, the game was decided on penalties. Even though Jadran missed the first two, coach Aljoša Kunac brought the trophy to Zvončac. 

"It has become common to chase the result, but we opened the final better this time. Mladost turned it around and had those three extra goals less than seven minutes until the end. We did not give up. We managed to equalize," said the Jadran captain Ivana Butić, who was named the tournament's best player.

All four Butić sisters scored in the final - Ivana was the top scorer with four goals, and Jelena, Magdalena, and Domina managed to shake Mladost's net once. Marcela Mišić recorded 11 saves.

Mladost scored three goals for a 3:2 lead and Jadran had another advantage at 5:4 at the beginning of the third quarter. After equalizing at 6:6 and 7:7, then again at 10:10 to go into penalties.

"We came to Zagreb for the Cup; coach Kunac put a lot of effort. Thanks also to the coaches at the pool, who helped, primarily Marko Vlajić. This is a beautiful success," Butić emphasized.

Thuss, after five years, the Croatian Cup women's trophy returned to Split.

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December 18, 2021 - Jug AO and Jadran Split will play in Sunday's Croatian Water Polo Cup final. In the first semifinal match, Jadran defeated Solaris 12:6 (4:1, 2:1, 4:1, 2:3), and in the second match, Jug defeated Mladost Zagreb 14:7 (3:1, 5:2, 3:3, 3:1).

This will be the 26th Croatian Cup final for Jug, and for the second time since 2017, Dubrovnik and Split will play in the final. Jadran, on the other hand, has qualified for the Croatian Cup final for the third time in history. They lost in the final in 2003 and 2017, reports HRT.

The best for Jadran in the first semifinal match were Bukić and Kharkov with three goals each, while Čagalj added two. Goreta, Pelicarić, Penava, Koprčina, Šparada and Kadmenović scored one goal each for Šibenik.

"I am really satisfied. I am most pleased with our good game in the defense. We played great defense for three quarters. This was good for us because we are realistically expecting Jug in the final tomorrow, and this was a preparation for us, because Jug plays similarly to Solaris, with a lot of swimming. Everything was fine, this is the crown of our half-season, we have neglected some things because of the Cup, we will see if it will pay off for us," said Jadran coach Mile Smodlaka.

"Jadran settled the match in the middle of the third quarter. The result was expected, although we could and should have done much better. The qualitative difference is big, but we knew how to offer them much better resistance," said Solaris coach said Jure Marelja.

Later, Jug confirmed their role as the favorite and defeated Mladost, the host of this Final Four, 14:7 (3:1, 5:2, 3:3, 3:1). As a result, Dubrovnik decided the game at halftime when they had a five-goal advantage (8:3).

Jug then slowed down and maintained the advantage until the end for a spot in the final. Loren Fatović and Alexandros Papanstasiou were the top scorers with three goals. Two goals were added by Argyropoulos. Marin Dašić and Dario Rakovac scored two goals for Mladost.

"We played a relatively good game, I am satisfied with the victory, but also about most of our game. In order to be competitive, Jadran needs to play a little better than today. We haven't played with Jadran yet this year, we didn't touch each other in the pool, and we can only see things there. They have more rotation, but we’ll see. It is nice that the match is on national television, the final will be a fight between the two best teams in Croatia. The quality is not in question, the match should be uncertain, the defense and swimming readiness could decide," commented Jug coach Vjekoslav Kobešćak.

"We were thin in rotation and we couldn't keep up with the pace. We saw a lot of personal mistakes early on and that handicapped us further. We were not great at realizing the extra man, we should have played better, but I congratulate Jug and wish them luck in the final. Jug has a slight advantage because it has a winning mentality, Jadran will be under a lot of pressure," said Zoran Bajić, Mladost coach.

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November 10, 2021 - Water polo club Jadran Split celebrated its first win in the LEN Champions League this season after beating Georgia's Dinamo Tbilisi in the second round on Tuesday night. 

The match began similar to when Jadran faced Barcelona in the first round. The opportunities were there, but there were no goals. Dinamo took advantage of that and took the lead with Sarić's goal, but then Bukić took responsibility and equalized to 1:1 in the fourth minute. A minute later, Delić scored and brought Jadran to the first lead of the match (2:1). Sarić equalized for Dinamo at 2:2, and Marinić-Kragić returned Split to the top with a penalty. 

In the 11th minute, Jadran finally scored with an extra man. Delić found Dobud, who scored for 5:3. In the 14th minute, Šetka scored with an extra man for the first +3 advantage of the match (7:4). Jadran managed to stop Dinamo's resistance and entered the second quarter up 10:5.

That advantage grew to 12:5 with two goals by captain Šetka in the third quarter. In the end, Dinamo came back from 15:8 to 15:11, slightly mitigating the defeat. At that moment, Jadran coach Mile Smodlaka called for a timeout. Dinamo then further reduced the result to 15:12, with Jadran conceding a series of 4 goals. Dinamo was just two goals behind at 15:13 two minutes before the final whistle. 

"I don't know; it's a shame that we allowed it at the end of this game. We need to discuss this amongst each other. Individuals put themselves ahead of the team, and that’s not good. But come on, let this be a warning to us, and maybe something good will come out of this. We started the game well, played properly, and created a great advantage, and then got into that hole," said Mile Smodlaka, Jadran's coach.

Jadran – Dinamo Tbilisi 15:13
(3:2, 7:3, 4:2, 1:6)

Split – Poljud

Spectators: 250.

Referees: Petronilli (Italy), Haentschel (Germany)

Jadran: Podrug, Burić (1), Marinić-Kragić (3), Čagalj, Z. Butić, Pejković (1), Bukić (1), Harkov (1), Delić (1), Dobud (2), Šetka (3), Dužević (2), Anić.

Dinamo Tbilisi: Razmadze, Tešelašvili (1), Dadvani, Imaišvili, Bitadze (1), Jelača (2), Adeišvili, Sarić (3), Giorgadze, Magrakvelidze (2), Vasić (4), Akvlediani, Gvetadze.

Source: Dalmacija Danas

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October 21, 2021 - The Jadran Split water polo club has managed to qualify for the LEN Champions League this season! 

In the return match of the last round of Champions League qualifications, Jadran Split defeated Zagreb's Mladost (7:3).

Already after the first game in Split and winning 14:7 in the first match, everything was clear for Jadran.

In the return match, Mladost took a 1:0 lead in the fifth minute and did not find their way to the net for the next 25 minutes. During that time, Jadran scored seven goals and took the 7:1 lead. Finally, in the last two minutes, Mladost mitigated the defeat with two goals.

The Zvončac Split club will play in the Champions League Group A, which also includes Novi Belgrade, Olympiacos, Ferencvaros, Barceloneta, Radnički Kragujevac, Dinamo Tbilisi, and Brescia. Novi Belgrade is the host of the final Final Eight tournament and will surely lock the top spot in this group, while the rest of the group will fight for the remaining three places.

In the second group is Dubrovnik's Jug Adriatic Osiguranje, and with them are Pro Recco, Waspo 98 Hannover, Marseille, Spandau 04, Steaua, OSC Budapest and Crvena Zvezda.

Against Zagreb on Wednesday, Jadran rested captains Anđelo Šetka and Nikša Dobud. The two routines didn't have to go to Zagreb at all, and they rested for new challenges, which will certainly progress in the season. Jadran, led by coach Mile Smodlaka, achieved the set plan as far as Europe is concerned, placing Jadran among the 16 best clubs in Europe. Now it remains to be seen how the new, strong team from Zvončac will handle the best of the best.

The first game in the Champions League is scheduled for Tuesday, October 26, against Barceloneta.

Source: Dalmatinski Portal

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May 1, 2021 - Construction on the Jadran Split Zvoncac pool is nearing completion and was visited on Friday by the Minister of Tourism and Sports Nikolina Brnjac.

On Friday, the Minister of Tourism and Sports Nikolina Brnjac, accompanied by Mayor Andro Krstulović Opara, Secretary-General of the Croatian Swimming Federation Ivana Jerković, and Olympian Marin Mogić, visited the Jadran swimming pool and engine room at Zvoncac. These are works worth over HRK 9.8 million, and the project was co-financed by the Government of the Republic with HRK 7.5 million, reports Slobodna Dalmacija. 

"Split is an inexhaustible source of sports talents, who have brought many international successes not only to Split but also to the whole of Croatia and contributed to the recognition of our homeland throughout the world. I thank the prefect of our homeland all over the world. I thank Prefect Boban and Mayor Krstulović Opara for their cooperation and for all the efforts made to keep Split a center of excellence in Croatian sports," said Minister Brnjac, adding that in 2019 and 2020, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports co-financed 56 infrastructure projects in the total amount of more than HRK 30 million, while this year it will co-finance another 43 new infrastructure projects of HRK 15 million.

In total, through other tenders and activities in 2016 in Split-Dalmatia County, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports in the field of sports has invested more than HRK 40 million, including co-financing major sporting events, which Split will host, such as the Olympic basketball qualifying tournament in the summer or the European Water Polo Championships, to be held next year.

Jadran swimmer Marin Mogić, who is preparing for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, could not hide his happiness. Mogić and his colleague Franko Grgić gave an additional impetus to do all this, thanks to their excellent results.

"I am happy that this project, after so many years of planning, has finally come true. When I went inside, I said that everything was a bit bizarre because it had been talked about for so many years, and honestly, one small part of me thought it would never happen. I am glad that Franko and I gave an additional incentive with our results to speed up the project and make it right," said Marin.

Srđan Kovačić, president of the Jadran Sports Association, was also very emotional.

"This is one of our dreams for a long time, and that dream turns into a reality. I can't come to my senses at this point. We will finally be able to train in our pool 365 days a year," said Kovačić.

"After completing the energy renovation of the swimming pool on Poljud, worth HRK 80 million, this is the second step worth HRK 10 million. We will have a winter pool that will relieve the renewed one in Poljud, and together they will raise the quality of training," said Krstulović Opara.

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