ZAGREB, 27 March 2022 - The 23rd edition of the Pannonian Challenge extreme sports festival will take place in Osijek from 15 to 19 June and will bring together the best national and regional sportspeople, its organisers have said.

"The coronavirus pandemic is winding down, so the 23rd edition of the Pannonian Challenge could be strong again", festival director Jurica Barać said at a press conference, adding that the focus this year would be on accompanying cultural and musical events, which had not taken place in the last two years.

According to State Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Tomislav Družak, the Pannonian Challenge has outgrown Osijek and Croatia.

"New sports are being created today, and that's good for the development of sports on a global level because young people bring new ideas and extreme sports with cycling are today becoming much more attractive than classic sports," said Družak.

Asked about the funding provided by the Ministry for this project, Družak said that in the past three years, the Pannonian Challenge has received between HRK 300,000 to HRK 500,000.

Osijek-Baranja County Prefect Ivan Anušić said that Osijek had become recognisable for this exceptional extreme sports festival.

"This isn't just a sporting event, it also has a tourist dimension because it will make Osijek visible in the whole Europe and the world, which is an added value of the Pannonian Challenge," said Anušić.

For more, check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

December 6, 2021 - The 22nd Pannonian Challenge in Osijek was attended by more than 200 athletes from 24 countries, and more than 15,000 visitors attended the event during the five days of the festival.

For 22 years, the Pannonian Challenge, a festival of extreme sports and urban culture, has successfully withstood all challenges and imposed new standards year after year, both in sports results and organization, reports HRTurizam.

Over the years, the Pannonian Challenge has become one of the most key events in Osijek and the whole of Slavonia. Moreover, due to its international character, it has crossed the borders of Croatia. Therefore, the importance of this event is unquestionable for Osijek, as the Drava river city is positioned in the world as a center of sports, entertainment, and team spirit.

The 22nd edition of the Pannonian Challenge was attended by more than 200 athletes from 24 countries, and more than 15,000 visitors attended the event during the five days of the festival.

"We are happy that the Pannonian Challenge, despite the corona crisis, managed to continue and for the 22nd year in a row promoted our city, county, and state and brought positivity among our fellow citizens. These figures and data best show the impact of Pannonian on all of us and the community we live in, and thanks to our partners and understanding of the authorities, we have survived the worst and plan a strong return - hosting the BMX World Cup as part of the 23rd Pannonian Challenge! We have a big job ahead of us. Still, we believe that with the support of all our partners and associates, we will succeed, just like in all previous years," said Jurica Barać, director of the Pannonian Challenge.

More than three million kuna was invested in the organization of the event, facilities, and the event's promotion, and thus in Osijek and the whole of Croatia. In addition, viewers from as many as 93 countries worldwide had the opportunity to see Pannonian Challenge footage.

Namely, the media platform Icarus Sport broadcast the show "The Outdoor Sports Show," which was partly dedicated to the Osijek event and shown on 53 sports channels, with a media reach of more than 1.3 billion households worldwide. In addition, the video is shown on flights of Air China, Air Canada, Qatar Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Oman Air, TAP Air Portugal, and many others. Through October 2021, it was seen by tens of thousands of people, with the important note that the video is also shown during November.

The sporting significance of the Pannonian Challenge was further confirmed this year when for the first time, BMX freestyle became an Olympic discipline. The Osijek team led by Igor Vukadinović Poki and Zdenko Liška, president of the Pannonian Association, set up a skate park in Tokyo at the Olympic Games.

The Pannonian Challenge has become a unique brand of its city and the entire country. For years, it has achieved a high global promotion for Osijek, Osijek-Baranja County, and Croatia. 

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

June the 10th, 2019 - The Pannonian Challenge turns twenty this year after hosting two decades of extreme sport and music festivals in Osijek. Over the past two decades, the Pannonian Challenge has grown to become one of the most popular events in extreme sports in Croatia, attracting international athletes across the world to take part in this spectacular five day event.

With a space of some 25 000 m2, together with a campsite next to the catacombs, the location sits on the left coast of the river Drava, next to the popular swimming pool Copacabana. If you’re walking along Osijek Promenade you can hear the music beats across the river Drava.

When you look back at the grass roots of this event in Osijek, with just a few skateboard fans starting it out with a completely different name, one can see that it has exceeded it origins of being just a group of people showing off some crazy moves, and for many people, it has exceeded their expectations since it first started twenty years ago.

Osijek has become the home of many extreme sports enthusiasts and a place to show off the most incredible moves for BMX, in-line and skateboarding. Total Croatia News was on the scene recently to see the some of the biggest names in Croatian and European skateboarding.

Day one started in Trvda at 18:00 in the Kazamat Gallery, showcasing the works of past and present photography art. With an incredible book collaboration of photographs from many artists that focuses on the subject of extreme sports in Osijek at various locations throughout the city, with the courtyard being the spotlight to enjoy the beats of DJ OMKE and UMBO taking you into the early morning of the next day.

Day two started with a bang early in the morning as many guests might have woken up to the sounds of thunder and lightning with a quick downpour. However, it cleared up just in time for the start of the warm-ups and registrations for the skateboarding competition. At 14:00, things really started to heat up at the Pannonian skate park in Osijek as riders were feeling the pinch. Fans showed up early as there were plenty of things to do and see while catching some rays under the warm Croatian sun.

With just a ten minute warning for the riders to get ready, you could see the spectators grabbing last minute cold drinks and something to eat.

Each rider got their turn to take to the course with the sound of the beep to show their moves in a one minute showdown. With only the top skateboarders in the final, there was still that incredible sense of community amongst them. With a limited time on the clock, technique and execution was paramount.

The rail grinds and flips during a rail slide off the bank wall were just some of the main moves. The following is an excerpt of just some of the judging criteria rules from here.

''Judging Criteria The performance of each rider is judged on overall impression including, but not limited to: - Difficulty - Style - Landings - Height - Consistency - Use of the course - Flow - Variety of tricks - Execution - Originality - Control of the tricks - Progression - Versatility

The overall composition of the runs is most important as the judges evaluate the sequences of tricks, the amount of risk in the routine, and how the rider uses the course. The judges take errors such as falls and stops into consideration.''

The finalist from the recent skateboarding completion were:

First place: Chrisu Khan from Spain
Second place: Timotej Lampe Ignjić from Slovenia
Third place: Bruno Vranić From Croatia

Skate Amateur results:

First place: Adriana Josipovic
Second place: Marko Gojkovic
Third place: Dominic Vargić

The best trick title was taken by Lajos Petrányi with a laser flip.

Here are the highlights:

Day three, Friday June the 7th - Scooter and in-line skating.

Later in the evening, things began at 16:00 with the finals having taken place at 18:00.

Then it was off to the music event where the excitement continued at Club Vega from 21:00 to 5:00.

22:00 - Hladno Pivo
00:00 - Let 3
01:00 - The Nilz
02:00 - Debeli Precjednik
03:00 - Of Apes

Day four, Saturday June the 8th -  BMX qualifications followed by an after party.

Day five, Sunday June the 9th -  BMX finals starting at 17:00 and ending at 20:00, followed by an after party.

This event which took place out in the open under the Croatian sky was full of sunshine and warmth for the competitors in Osijek. Follow our lifestyle page for more.

The biggest extreme sports and music event in Croatia and Southeast Europe is included in the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) calendar, and in the new BMX category, riders will collect points for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. This is phenomenal news and the enormous success of several enthusiasts who have been working on this great festival since the first day, which will be held in Osijek this June, reports HRTurizam on February 16, 2019. 

The Jubilee 20th Pannonian Challenge will remain in memory as one of the greatest in its two decades of existence, as membership in the UCI federation brings a number of new opportunities for all contestants. The Pannonian Challenge has thus become the international category C1 contest, where BMX freestyle discipline participants will be able to collect points for the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020.

This is a significant step for a festival launched by the enthusiastic group in an Osijek playground, and in the meantime, it has grown into a globally known gathering of extreme sports and urban culture.

"By joining the UCI federation, we have the opportunity to raise the whole event to a higher level. As many people already know, next year, BMXers and skaters will compete for the first time in Tokyo, and we are proud that the Pannonian Challenge will become part of the sport's history. Every year we come together in Osijek with a great team, and this June we expect the arrival of the best international riders and numerous teams. For now, we have already announced the arrival of teams from the UK, Russia, and Hungary, and the number of applicants is growing, which guarantees the biggest Pannonian Challenge so far,” said Jurica Barać, project manager of the Pannonian Challenge.

The Pannonian Challenge will be held this year in a skate park near the popular Osijek swimming area Copacabana, where from 5 to 9 June, competitions will kick off in skateboarding, BMX, inline, and scooter disciplines.

The festival even has a musical component! The festival will feature the best rock and electro names of the regional urban music scene.

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