February 20, 2020 - Croatia will open its first game of the Olympic Qualifying Basketball Tournament in Split against Brazil, and play its second game a day later against Tunisia.

FIBA has announced the schedule and times for the final basketball qualifiers for the Olympic Games, which will be played in Croatia, Canada, Lithuania and Serbia from June 23 to 28. 

Croatia will thus play its first game in Group B on June 24 at 8 pm against Brazil, and the second game on June 25 against Tunisia at 8 pm. Germany, Russia and Mexico will play in Group a. If Croatia makes it to the semifinals, they will play against the national teams in Group A on the weekend of June 27.

The qualifiers are played in four different tournaments, each with six participants, and only the winners of the tournament will qualify for the Olympics. Argentina, Australia, France, Iran, Nigeria, Spain, the United States and Japan have already qualified for the 2020 Olympics.

In addition to Split, other cities hosting the qualifying tournament are Belgrade, Kaunas and Victoria. A total of 24 nations will compete in the tournaments, with only tournament winners going to the Olympics.

"The tournament in Split is one big event and promotion not only for basketball but for the whole of Croatia. We hope for a good atmosphere and once again thank the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the City of Split and Split-Dalmatia County. We hope that the team will be complete and that everyone will be healthy and we can look forward to the Olympic Games. We are about to begin qualifying for the European Championships that await us in 2021. On Friday, we play against Sweden, after which we play with the Netherlands. These two games are extremely important for us. After that, we expect the HT Premier League championship finals, and then we are preparing for this tournament.”

All fans looking to cheer on Croatia in Split can purchase tickets from February 26 through system.hr.

“The Split tournament is, in my opinion, the most important event in Croatian sport in 2020, and the importance and weight are in the opponents, system and organization. FIBA has risen to a higher level of quality since EuroBasket in 2015. We recognized this tournament as a top event that has the opportunity to be played in Croatia. I want to take this opportunity to thank the Prime Minister and the Government of the Republic of Croatia for recognizing this. What awaits us in Split is the ultimate spectacle for all sports fans, especially basketball. Until the tournament, we will work on the animation and promotion of basketball and take this opportunity to raise basketball to another level,” said the Secretary-General of the Croatian Basketball Federation, Josip Vranković.

Qualifying for the Olympic Games and representing their country is a dream of all athletes, which guarantees that exciting basketball awaits us in Split. The Croatia national team will have a slight advantage as they will have support from the Split stands.

‘’I hope we can show a good game in front of our home crowd on Friday and win. We expect that the Drazen Petrovic hall will be packed to the last place and that together with our fans, we will have a positive atmosphere before this last Euro qualifier against the Netherlands and before the Olympic tournament in Split in June.

When we finish these games, we will start preparing for the Split tournament, talk to all the players to get ready for the summer,” said Croatian basketball team coach Veljko Mrsic.

The Tokyo Olympics will be held from July 24 to August 9. The Croatia basketball team has qualified for the Olympic Games four times, with the highest success being the silver medal in 1992. At the last Rio Olympics, Croatia took 5th place. The tournament in Split is an opportunity for all basketball lovers and fans to accompany their national teams on the road to the Olympics, but also to enjoy top-notch basketball. In addition to Split, other host cities are Belgrade, Kaunas and Victoria. A total of 24 teams will compete in the tournaments, with only the tournament winners going to the Olympics.

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

February 19, 2020 - After the Riva lit up last Sunday for the salsa-inspired Carnival opening with Cubismo, Split Carnival continues with a week of colorful events for everyone to enjoy.

Namely, Dalmacija Danas reports that the festive program continues throughout the week with free dance workshops, while the festivities heat up this weekend to Fat Tuesday.

After last year's success at Dardin, the organizers are once again using the famous Split park as a hub for the ‘Magical Forest’ inspired Children's Carnival, intended for elementary and secondary school kids. The Kindergarten Carnival will take place on Monday.

This Saturday, February 22, at 11 am, the program begins by handing over the city keys, and continues with the interactive play ‘Magical Disco’.

Members of the Dance Center and children's groups will take the stage.

Children and parents are invited to come on time because, throughout the program, the jury will evaluate the best costumes. At the end of the program, between 1 to 2 pm, prizes will be awarded. The prize fund is 2000kn - 1000 kuna goes to the winner, and at 200 kuna each will split the other five places.

The Kindergarten Carnival will be held traditionally in the large hall of ŠC Gripe on Monday, February 24, from 10-11:30 am.

All kindergartens near Gripe are invited to come by foot, while paid buses are organized for those further away.

The Kindergarten Carnival will feature mascots, an interactive children's play, and tempting prizes. All parents with kindergarten-aged children who do not attend kindergarten are also invited to join the program.

Since the city stopped the Carnival dance party at Peristyle in 2016, Split's clubs have taken over. You won't want to miss the best-masked winter party on Saturday, February 22, from 11:30 pm.

Dj Sonic from Paris, Pero FullHouse and Yelle will take the Central stage for the Love Rave.

Fat Tuesday, February 25, will once again enrich Dardin park. The diverse evening begins at 7 pm with the presentation of costumes. From 8 pm, carnival-goers can enjoy a concert featuring Krešo Bengalka.

During the concert, the jury will select the best costumes. The winners will split 2000 kuna - 1000kn for the first prize and 200 kuna each for the other places.

Since the organizers wanted to prepare a program that all attendees could enjoy, after Krešo Bengalka, Mladen Grdovic will take the stage.

After the concert, around 11:50 pm, the Carnival parade procession will begin.

You can see the full program here. 

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

February 19, 2020 - The Olympic qualifying tournament in Split is the last chance to fight for a spot in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The Croatia national team has a slight advantage, as they will be playing in front of a home crowd.

HKS reports that one of the four Olympic qualifying basketball tournaments will be played in Split from June 23 to 28 at the Spaladium Arena. Croatia will fight against the national teams of Germany, Russia, Tunisia, Mexico and Brazil for a spot in Tokyo.

"The tournament in Split is one big event and promotion not only for basketball but for the whole of Croatia. We hope for a good atmosphere and once again thank the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the City of Split and Split-Dalmatia County. We hope that the team will be complete and that everyone will be healthy and we can look forward to the Olympic Games. We are about to begin qualifying for the European Championships that await us in 2021. On Friday, we play against Sweden, after which we play with the Netherlands. These two games are extremely important for us. After that, we expect the HT Premier League championship finals, and then we are preparing for this tournament.”

All fans looking to cheer on Croatia in Split can purchase tickets from February 26 through system.hr.

“The Split tournament is, in my opinion, the most important event in Croatian sport in 2020, and the importance and weight are in the opponents, system and organization. FIBA has risen to a higher level of quality since EuroBasket in 2015. We recognized this tournament as a top event that has the opportunity to be played in Croatia. I want to take this opportunity to thank the Prime Minister and the Government of the Republic of Croatia for recognizing this. What awaits us in Split is the ultimate spectacle for all sports fans, especially basketball. Until the tournament, we will work on the animation and promotion of basketball and take this opportunity to raise basketball to another level,” said the Secretary-General of the Croatian Basketball Federation, Josip Vranković.

Qualifying for the Olympic Games and representing their country is a dream of all athletes, which guarantees that exciting basketball awaits us in Split. The Croatia national team will have a slight advantage as they will have support from the Split stands.

‘’I hope we can show a good game in front of our home crowd on Friday and win. We expect that the Drazen Petrovic hall will be packed to the last place and that together with our fans, we will have a positive atmosphere before this last Euro qualifier against the Netherlands and before the Olympic tournament in Split in June.

When we finish these games, we will start preparing for the Split tournament, talk to all the players to get ready for the summer,” said Croatian basketball team coach Veljko Mrsic.

The Tokyo Olympics will be held from July 24 to August 9. The Croatia basketball team has qualified for the Olympic Games four times, with the highest success being the silver medal in 1992. At the last Rio Olympics, Croatia took 5th place. The tournament in Split is an opportunity for all basketball lovers and fans to accompany their national teams on the road to the Olympics, but also to enjoy top-notch basketball. In addition to Split, other host cities are Belgrade, Kaunas and Victoria. A total of 24 teams will compete in the tournaments, with only the tournament winners going to the Olympics.

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

February 17, 2020 - The first tourist guide for Croatia’s underwater cultural heritage has been presented in Split-Dalmatia County. 

HRTurizam reports that "Underwater Heritage of Split-Dalmatia County” is the name of a new tourist guide presented by County prefect Blaženko Boban, Head of the Department of Tourism and Maritime Affairs Stipe Čogelj, and Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board director Josko Stella. The new guide was also presented by archaeologists Saša Denegri and Silva Kukoč, and Tea Katunarić Kirjakov, archeologist and art historian at the Art Academy of the University of Split.

The project, funded by Split-Dalmatia County in the framework of the Call for Proposals for Financing Projects from the Program of Development, Protection and Valorisation of Maritime Heritage in Split-Dalmatia County in 2019, is the first of its kind in Croatia

There are more than 200 underwater archeological sites in the marine area of Split-Dalmatia County, ranging from single isolated finds of small artifacts to preserved shipwrecks carrying amphora loads and wrecks from World War II. The goal of developing a cultural and tourist guide for the underwater heritage of Split-Dalmatia County is to promote underwater archeological sites to get a complete picture of the richness, diversity and importance of the underwater world, and further develop archeological and diving tourism in Split-Dalmatia County.

The new cultural and tourist guide presents 28 underwater sites and three museum collections with underwater archeological finds. The guide is designed in such a way that the waters of Split-Dalmatia County are divided into five geographical areas (the waters of Split and the Bay of Kastela, the waters of Brač island, the waters of Hvar island, the waters of Vis and Palagruza islands), and covers the period from prehistory to World War II. All localities are approximately indicated on maps, and different colors indicate different depths of sites. 

A separate section also features the Battle of Vis as the most significant naval battle on the Adriatic and the three wrecks that participated in the battle as one of the most significant underwater finds in the Adriatic. The guide represents different types of cultural property from all historical periods, covering the entire waters of the county (ancient remains of architecture and shipwrecks, late medieval shipwrecks, and the remains of modern-day wrecks and planes from World War II). In addition to the historical and geographical information, each site has its depth and accessibility for visitors. The guide is available in Croatian and English.

“With the introduction of this guide, we offer something that should be recognizable, especially to the clientele who will not stand for busy roads and terminals, and their financial potential is exceptional. For this purpose, the underwater heritage of our county stands out as an additional value of our tourist offer. Through the guide presented, almost all the localities of our county are listed, with all the directions, depths, and a breakdown of what is allowed at these locations. In addition to tourism, this guide will serve to protect these beautiful sites. I believe that through the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, tourists who want to see these cultural and tourist values in an organized manner can now become acquainted with them. I also thank the authors of the guide, as well as the county services who have done something extremely valuable and of good quality,”  said Boban.

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

February 17, 2020 - Zinfandel Food & Wine Bar in Split will kick off a new event series dedicated to the art of conversation. 

Is there anything better than blending divine food and wine with great conversation?

Yeah, we didn’t think so either.

Now you can marry all three of the best elements in life on Thursdays in Split with the introduction of a new series at Zinfandel Food & Wine Bar. 

Namely, for the next three Thursdays, Zinfandel invites you, your chattiest friends and favorite listeners to join them for an evening of wine, food, and conversation.

But we promise this won’t be just any kind of conversation. This Thursday, February 20, you’ll get to speak with Dejan Nemčić, a professor of geography who holds classes on two continents! As part of the opening evening, find out about Dejan’s experience in Africa and what particularly impressed him on his travels.

The conversation continues with Tanja Mravak, a renowned writer whose stories about everyday life, emotions, friendship, and food will entertain guests on February 27, 2020. 

And on the first Thursday in March, Domagoj Jakopović (aka Ribafish) will tell you everything you need to know about the RokOtok project, which encourages children, young people and parents to spend more quality free time playing and talking. You can read more about the admirable project here. 

Admission is free and a selection of promotional drink prices will be on offer. How could you say no? Stay in the loop here.

Better yet, be sure to enjoy Zinfandel’s hearty winter menu while it lasts - and with this sunny weather, we’re not sure how much time we have left. 

Don’t miss out on bar bites featuring tempura sardines, mini burgers with caramelized onion and crispy pancetta, foie gras and hummus share platters, or hand-cut potatoes with pancetta. 

Or for starters, enjoy a rich tableside steak tartare or foie gras terrine, or dig into the house-made spaghetti with burnt butter, truffles and semi-fried tomatoes, the agnolotti with skuta cheese and burnt fig, or the ravioli topped with apricot cream, beetroot and grilled prawns. And while no appetizer list in Split would be complete without a creamy risotto, which Zinfandel offers with grana Padano and balsamic, you can also keep it easy by choosing Zinfandel’s cheese and charcuterie platters, too. 

The stars of the show are in the main courses of the menu, where you’ll find a rump steak with potatoes, pancetta, and bearnaise sauce, duck breast with a sour cherry demiglace, or a pork fillet wrapped in pancetta. The lamb shank is slow-cooked with potato mash and fava beans, the Hama fish baked with zucchini, leeks, carrot and posip, while the skuta-stuffed squid is decorated with semi-dried tomatoes and hummus. 

To complete your meal, satisfy your sweet tooth with a warm pumpkin cake, sticky date pudding, Sissy pancakes, or kadaif cannoli. 

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

February 17, 2020 - The 22nd round of the Croatian First League was held from February 14 to 16, 2020. Dinamo recorded their second defeat of the season, while Hajduk struggled against Slaven Belupo once again.

Lokomotiva v. Istra 1961 (2:0)

Lokomotiva and Istra opened the 22nd round on Friday, February 14, in Zagreb in front of 320 fans. 

While the first half went without goals, Lokomotiva’s Uzini scored in the 63rd and 67th minutes for 2:0, which was the final score of the game. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 5th place with 34 points, while Istra is in 9th place with 15.

Inter Zapresic v. Varazdin (1:2)

Inter and Varazdin met in Zapresic on Saturday, February 15, 2020, in front of 2,045 spectators. 

Inter was in the lead first thanks to a goal by Serderov in the 19th minute for 1:0 at the half. 

Benko equalized for Varazdin in the 60th minute, and Petkovic gave them the lead in the 70th minute for a final score of 1:2.

Inter is currently in 8th place with 17 points, while Varazdin is in 10th with 15.

Slaven Belupo v. Hajduk (2:1)

Belupo and Hajduk met on Saturday, February 15, 2020, in Koprivnica in front of 2,912 spectators. 

Hajduk was awarded a penalty early the game, which Eduok scored for the lead (0:1). However, a double yellow for Juric in the 37th minute saw Hajduk play with a man down for the rest of the game. 

Bacelic-Grgic equalized just before halftime for 1:1.

Krstanovic scored the winning goal of the game in the 88th minute for the Belupo victory. 

Belupo is currently in 7th place with 21 points, while Hajduk is in 2nd with 41.

Osijek v. Dinamo (1:0)

Osijek and Dinamo met at City Garden Stadium on Sunday, February 16, 2020, in front of 6,450 spectators.

The second half made up for the uneventful first half. First, Dinamo’s Dilaver was shown his second yellow of the game in the 67th minute, which forced Dinamo to play with a man down. In the 77th minute, Maric scored for Osijek, which gave them the 1:0 lead. 

The chances for Dinamo to equalize were even slimmer once Stojanovic was shown a red card in the 4th minute of injury time, and coach Nenad Bjelica was ejected from the pitch two minutes later. 

Osijek is currently in 3rd place with 38 points, while Dinamo remains in 1st with 53. 

Gorica v. Rijeka (0:0)

Gorica and Rijeka closed out the 22nd round on Sunday, February 16, 2020, in Velika Gorica.

Neither team was able to score throughout the game, which ended 0:0.

Gorica is currently in 6th place with 31 points, while Rijeka is in 4th with 38.

You can see the full HNL table here. 

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

February 16, 2020 - TCN recently started a discussion on why there are no budget winter flights to Split, which got a lively response. And now we have an expert view to consider. 

One of the many fabulous discoveries I made about Croatia in the last couple of years is a fantastic Swiss company called ch-aviation, which is the market leader in aviation data. Fantastic because their data and analysis has been a great source of information for me for stories about flights to Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia. And a fabulous discovery because they opened their main subsidiary office right here in Croatia, in Zagreb. And so successful have they been with their Croatian operation that they have expanded quickly, and continue to look for more talented young Croatian staff. You can read a TCN feature about ch-aviation here, and then check out their website. 

The ch-aviation chaps have always been very obliging when I have asked for comment on an issue regarding the Croatian air industry, so having opened the topic about budget winter flights to Split, I thought it would be useful to get some expert thoughts. And here they are, courtesy of Chief Marketing Officer, Simonas Bartkus, for which many thanks:

Europe is by far the most seasonal continent in the world when it comes to air travel. It means there is massive demand in Summer, but the demand goes down in Europe-wide. I don‘t have exact numbers, but I believe Croatia is one of the most challenging countries in Europe when it comes to seasonality (everything connects to sea-coast tourism as a key purpose to travel to Croatia).

In Europe, most of the airlines are making their profits in summer. Even ultra-low-cost-airlines, like Ryanair or Wizz Air, announce quarterly losses when financial quarters includes winter months only. From time to time low-cost airlines report very thin positive margins, but mainly due to their smart capacity management (reducing in winter, planning all maintenance events and crew holidays in winter) and more business profile routes in their network.
 
Having said that, I should say, profitable operations in winter-only operations are not realistic from Split in winter. Nevertheless, every additional flight would be beneficial for local tourism and the economy. As the region has the infrastructure to serve loads of people in summer, the capacity is under-utilized in winter. It would make sense to the region (tourism authority, local businesses or local government) to subsidize routes, but the amount of the subsidies may be high: we could look at the numbers to subsidize 30% or even 50% of all the cost of the flights which may result in few millions of subsidies per route. At the same time, the long term development the subsidies will develop the traffic to the level it can sustain itself in the long term also is not very realistic, in my opinion.
 
Together with that, every subsidy creates a change in the competition environment. In winter, Croatia Airlines offers 86% of the capacity from Split Airport. The national airline is operating 3x daily flights to Zagreb which is subsidized by PSO mechanism in Croatia domestic airline network. Croatia Airlines also feeds Frankfurt and Munich with daily flights on their own commercial risk, feeding Lufthansa hubs and two largest Star Alliance hubs in Europe. Business travellers have an option to reach Split via Zagreb, Munich or Frankfurt in winter. If the new low-cost airline will be created in Split for winter operations, Croatia Airlines will become the one which will be hurt most, as I expect their routes SPU-ZAG, SPU-MUC and SPU-FRA serves connecting traffic mostly. This may result in the need to raise the subsidy required for SPU-ZAG or/and Croatia Airlines may decide to drop Frankfurt and Munich services for good. 

So to say, I‘m quite pessimistic with the longterm sustainability of such a project. Nevertheless, there are some good examples in Europe, when Malta, Cyprus or provinces of Italy try to attract a limited amount of low-cost flights during winter with offering subsidies. But at the same time subsidies schemes should be smart not to destroy existing traffic.

For the latest flight news from Croatia, check out the dedicated TCN section. 

February 16, 2020 - 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.

Dalmatinski Portal writes that Stipanovic gave his best on the last day, which resulted in third place and the bronze medal. Tonci finished the first regatta in fourth place to achieve a much lower result, but in the last sail, he turned everything around to reach the much-desired place on the podium.

“It was a very difficult day today and the wind was blowing from the shore, which changed direction quite a bit. The first regatta saw great sailing, but the second was not good because I did not appreciate the movement of the clouds, which had a significant effect on the wind. I entered the last regatta with nine points behind the Frenchman Bernaz who held that bronze medal, but I did not lose hope, I fought to the finish line and I think that's why I was awarded a medal. I am very happy that this Olympic year has begun and I look forward to the challenges ahead,” said Tonci Stipanovic.

His younger colleague Filip Jurisic finished in tenth place, which is an outstanding result and an indication that Filip will see medals in the future.

“In the end, I have to be satisfied with how I sailed this championship; it was a good fight, but it was also the goal, to go to the maximum. The week was extremely demanding, very windy, and although it could have been better, I am satisfied with the tenth place and now I have a whole season ahead of me. I wish Tonci good luck at the Olympic Games, he has my full support,” said Filip Jurisic.

The world's best laser and gold medalist is German Philipp Buhl, and second is Matthew Wearn of Austria. A total of 42 sailors sailed in the Golden Group, and securing the third and tenth place for JK Mornar from Split is proof that a bright future awaits.

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

February 16, 2020 -  KK Mertojak was fantastic in the return Champions League quarterfinal game against the champions of Italy, Neumartkt Imperial Life. 

Supported by a packed Poljud bowling alley, KK Mertojak swept one of Europe's best professional teams with a high score of 7:1 (3677: 3595) and thus made up for the 3:5 loss from the first match, reports Dalmacija Danas.

It was a victory for the team, the community, and fans.

“This result is especially significant due to the fact that after 1999 (VK POŠK) this is the first team placement in the Champions League final four by a Split club (in a city that is considered to be one of the sportiest cities in the world). Unfortunately, at this moment, Mertojak is the only one of European value in the city of Split, and we hope that it will be recognized,” said KK Mertojak.

Mertojak’s success is building gradually, though they are already taking one step higher than last year. The next stop is Apatin, Serbia from March 28-29, where a caravan of fans will support Mertojak along the way.

The Mertojak bowling club was founded in 2006 as an amateur and neighborhood club, though they conceived it as a bowling school. They gathered a group of boys who were interested in the sport, and with proper training, good coaching and fair conditions, the results started to come. Mertojak moved from nothing to the first in the league.

They are led by Hrvoje Marinovic, the 2018 World Individual Finalist and the Mixed Doubles Finalist at the 7th World Senior Singles Championship held in Cluj, Romania. In the 2017/2018 season, the team also became the Croatian finalists, just behind Zaprešić in first.

The club initially trained at the Mertojak bowling alley, where they could work in excellent conditions. However, the owner discontinued the bowling alley for various reasons, and today, the club trains and plays at Poljud. Although it is a decent bowling alley, there are too few lanes. Due to this, and chronically small and limited financial resources, they are not able to host any competition. The city only contributes a little. 

Sponsorships are also nearly impossible in bowling, because it is not an Olympic sport.

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

February 14, 2020 - The Split half marathon will celebrate 20 years this year, while the Split marathon will run for the first time. 

Dalmatinski Portal reports that the program, which is held from February 21 to February 23, will have its main event on Sunday, when the 42-kilometer Riva marathon begins at nine in the morning. A record number of 4,000 participants from more than 40 countries is expected. The marathon will also include the relay made up of Mladen Bartulovic, Dalibor Nincevic, Jakov Vetma, and Andro Krstulovic Opara, the leaders of Podstrana, Solin, Klis and Split.

“After three years of preparations, Split and the whole region will receive a full marathon. It is the result of the meticulous and dedicated work of the volunteer group that works throughout the year. We are ready, and as far as the race is concerned, it could start tomorrow. The marathon sold out two months ago, we have 900 competitors, making us the largest marathon in Croatia so far. In addition to the marathon, we have a half marathon race where we have 2000 competitors. 

Starting this year, we moved the 5k race to the day before. We have strong names from Kenya and Ethiopia, and we expect a fairly good race. Split is a beautiful city, and the trail is beautiful. I have run numerous marathons, but the split track is still the most beautiful. A Japanese woman who is 72 is also arriving, and Split will be the 100th marathon in her career, with the addition that she started running 15 years ago,” said Organizing Committee President Kristijan Sindik.

Organizing Committee Deputy Chairman Sandra Russo Zelenovic was surprised by the large number of journalists at the press conference.

“I am incredibly happy to see you in such great numbers. This is not just a sporting event. The whole event could not be organized without the support of the City, the County, and the Tourist Board. The event also includes the Sports Fair, which will be held at Gripe from February 21-22. Within the Fair, there will be a workshop on healthy eating and injury prevention. There will also be a hand-wrestling competition. The Split Marathon has had a humanitarian element for years. This year, we will be raising funds with Dina Levacic to buy educational supplies for the Perla Association.”

The director of the Split Tourist Board, Alijana Vukšić, emphasized the importance of marathons for Split tourism in the preseason.

“It is my pleasure to have worked together for many years. Last year, over ten thousand overnight stays were realized in six days, and this year we expect this number to be even higher. Split deserves this kind of event. Our guests are very modern and all are willing to pay for healthy food and healthy living. This is an opportunity for them to keep their habits while on their journey and come back to us. It is also important to emphasize that such guests do not come alone and spend more,” she said.

The director of the Split and Dalmatia County Tourist Board, Josko Stella, emphasized the importance of this event for the entire county.

“The marketing effect of this marathon is extremely important to us and we have supported it from the very beginning, and we will support it in the future.”

Jakov Vetma, Mayor of Klis Municipality, is one of the participants in the relay marathon. The first change is run by Mladen Bartulovic, from the Riva to Vranjic. The Mayor of Solin, Dalibor Nincevic, who runs from Vranjic to Lora, will take over the baton there. At the western exit will be Jacob Vetma, who will run across Poljud and Marjan, and at Banovina will be Andro Krstulović Opara, who will take the final leg.

“I’m here as one of the participants. Together with Mayor Opara, Dalibor Nincevic and Mladen Bartulovic, we plan to run this marathon,” Vetma said.

Dalibor Nincevic, Mayor of Solin, will also be part of this sports and cultural story.

“The marathon section will pass through the town of Solin, thus connecting it with Split. I am pleased that the participants of the marathon, apart from Split, will have the opportunity to get to know the beauties of Solin and Vranjic,” said Nincevic, and was inspired by Mayor Andro Krstulović Opara.

“I run the last leg of the relay. It's about 12 kilometers and the handoff will be right next to Banovina. A large number of enthusiasts have brought this attribute to the city of Split, which proves that we are one of the sportiest cities in Split. Where in the world do you have a route that goes from Diocletian's Palace to Solin, the 'little Venice', via Lora, Marjan, the port, Bacvice, Žnjan, Duilovo and back to the Palace?

The marathon season begins in Split. I hope that in the future, this marathon will be one of the largest in this part of Europe. I would ask the citizens to be patient because we will have to close certain lanes,” said Opara Krstulovic.

The head of the Department for Tourism and Maritime Affairs, Stipe Čogelj, stressed the importance of this event for the entire County.

“The sportiest city in the world has earned this marathon. This is a capital event that the County supports every year. The figures themselves show how much this organization deserves our support. We can do great things with the synergy of all cities and counties,” concluded Čogelj.

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