March 16, 2021 – Croatian city of Ludbreg, also called the center of the world due to its geographical position, becomes the center of sports games in March as the Ludbreg Spring Outdoor Festival begins.

To encourage the development of Ludbreg into an outdoor excursion destination, the new sports festival – Welcome Spring – started last Saturday in this Croatian city, also known as the center of the world. The Ludbreg Spring festival began with an exciting kayak race.

On the river Bednja, which flows through the very center of Ludbreg, the forces were measured by different types of rowers in several categories. The exciting Watermark Kayak Race attracted curious citizens on Saturday morning, who watched the open championship of the Ludbreg city in kayaking on the 300 meters long route.

Ludbreg Tourist Board Facebook

In addition to the kayak race that started the Ludbreg Spring outdoor festival, the Ludbreg Tourist Board tried to bring kayaking closer to people by organizing a free kayak demonstration hour on the island Mladost in Ludbreg.

Ludbreg Tourist Board Facebook

Since this small town in Zagorje is already known for trail running and cycling, as well as for the beautiful nature that surrounds it, the Ludbreg Spring festival is an excellent meeting place for sports fans. To popularize the active outdoor lifestyle, Welcome Spring Festival will attract sports fans to Ludbreg with more sports competitions every weekend in March.

The schedule includes:

Centrum Mundi road running – March 21, 2021

On City Day, Ludbreg honors the entry fees for the already traditional road race "Centrum Mundi." This 10-kilometer race is officially scored for the Northwest Croatia Cup. In addition to the competition race, a 2.5 km long race for citizens will be organized.

Gravel cycling race – March 27, 2021

The beautiful and exciting but also demanding route of the Gravel race around Kalnik (the so-called "up-down" route) requires good preparation. Hence, its trail, as well as other helpful information, are available online. You can buy the tickets here.

Crazy Hill Trail running – March 28, 2021

The legendary Crazy Hill Trail race – now that it is official – will run on three tracks: green (10 km), blue (16 km), and red (34 km) so that runners of all profiles can find their place. You can register here.

Ludbreg Tourist Board

Welcome Spring festival is unique and intended for everyone, which is proved by the fact that there are two races for people with disabilities in wheelchairs. Namely, the road race for people with disabilities in wheelchairs will be held together with the Centrum Mundi road race with a route of 2.5 km, and the cycling race as part of the Gravel race with a route of 10 km.

In anticipation of spring, the positive and active energy of the Ludbreg landscape allows sports competitors and visitors to enjoy sporting events in this charming town. With its flat and hilly surroundings, the landscape of Ludbreg offers a multitude of opportunities for pre-season warm-ups and winter training testing.

Ludbreg Spring outdoor festival is here to encourage citizens to restart with sports activities. At the same time, for those who have diligently maintained their shape, it gives opportunities to show themselves in the best light.

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

February 4, 2020 – The new Dubrovnik Sports Hall will have world-class facilities and be multifunctional, capable of holding cultural events as well as sports. It will be completed in time for the city joint hosting the 2025 World Handball Championship

The City of Dubrovnik has revealed plans for a new world-class Dubrovnik sports hall. The venue will have ultra-modern facilities and will be a multifunctional space, allowing it to be also used for cultural events such as music concerts. The city will apply for European funds to help pay for the new Dubrovnik sports hall.

In February 2020 it was announced that Dubrovnik would be one of the hosts of the World Handball Championship in 2025. The announcement and impending visit of the competition is the impetus for launching the project of the new Dubrovnik sports hall. Croatia is one of three countries - alongside Denmark and Norway - that will jointly host the World Handball Championships in 2025. 

The new Dubrovnik sports hall is planned as a multifunctional sports and congress hall and cultural centre, which will sit next to the existing sports hall in Gospino polje. The old hall and the new Dubrovnik sports hall will be connected, creating a venue capable of holding some 4200 spectators. It will be a complex containing three handball courts for competition or recreation, alternatively to be used as a congress hall or for music concerts, at which the capacity would be 4000 guests.

© Grad Dubrovnik

Plans for the new Dubrovnik sports hall were presented jointly by Mayor Mato Franković, Head of the Administrative Department for European Funds, Regional and International Cooperation Zrinka Raguž and Director of the Sports Facilities Dubrovnik Lukša Klaić. The city aims to obtain building permits by the end of 2021 and complete construction by the end of 2024.

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