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.

January 13, 2021 – Given the developed sports and accommodation infrastructure, as well as the organization and sports tradition, does Istria have the potential to become the leading sports tourism destination in the southern part of Europe?

With cities that regularly count the highest numbers of tourist overnight stays each year, Istria has been a top tourist destination for a long time. After a recent endeavor to brand Istria as an attractive region for top IT professionals, Istria is also promoted as a favorable sports tourism destination.

Favorable climate, vicinity to Europe

According to Glas Istre, due to its favorable position, mild climate, and developed sports infrastructure and tradition, Istrian cities on the west coast are often hosting many international clubs and national teams that come to the preparations and camps.

For example, the Croatia national handball team recently made preparations for the 2021 World Handball Championship in the Istrian city of Poreč. Their coach Lino Červar said two years ago that the national team in Poreč feels at home.

Football fields in Medulin / Gat travel agency

Comparative advantages of Istria, such as the proximity of major European cities and favorable climate in the winter months, give it a unique opportunity to compete with other warmer destinations, such as the famous Antalya in Turkey, one of the most attractive sports tourism destinations. However, it is necessary to use those advantages, adequately adjust the infrastructure, and increase and improve the offer.

The corona crisis has certainly benefited Istria, which has logically imposed itself as the best option for sports clubs' semi-seasonal winter preparations. However, once the corona crisis becomes a thing of the past and the borders open, the question is whether Istria can compete with the best.

Well-known Istrian sports destinations - Medulin, Pula, Porec, Rovinj, and Umag

Football fields near the Belvedere Hotel in Medulin traditionally attract football clubs. All six football fields are 100 to a maximum of 500 meters apart. About 200 clubs from all over Europe pass through Medulin annually, and this year it was chosen by the football clubs Lokomotiva, Šibenik, Međimurje, Slaven Belupo, Gorica, and domestic Istria 1961.

Apart from Medulin, sports tourism also thrives in the four largest Istrian cities – Pula, Poreč, Rovinj, and Umag, which also generate the largest tourist traffic. The famous Poreč sports hall Žatika, one of six halls in the city, was built for the 2009 World Handball Championship in Croatia, and as a result of many years of investment in sports, a football camp will soon be built in Poreč.

Currently, football clubs Rijeka, Slovačko from the Czech Republic, Budafoki MTE from Hungary, and Sturm Graz from Austria are preparing in Umag. The City of Umag says that they have been continuously working on raising the quality of football fields for years, especially in the Stella Maris sports center.

Tennis center Stella Maris in Umag / Copyright Romulić and Stojčić

Umag is already recognized as a base for the winter preparations of many European first leaguers. The current situation with the coronavirus has only further increased the number of inquiries from foreign football clubs. By the end of February, numerous first-league and second-league clubs are expected to spend their winter preparations in Umag, culminating in a series of traditional Umag Trophy youth football tournaments, for which Juventus and Bayern Münich have already confirmed the arrival.

"We have recognized all the comparative advantages of Istria. Ten years ago, we decided to develop this type of tourism, together with the Umag Tourist Board and the hotel company Plava Laguna. We notice that the potential is much greater than what we can currently satisfy with the existing infrastructure, so the sports center and additional fields are also planned," they say from the City of Umag.

Marko Kuže: Rovinj is Dinamo's winter base

Dinamo and Osijek football clubs are currently preparing in Rovinj. It seems that the corona crisis, in this case, was not crucial given that the clubs of the first Croatian football league, as well as the Croatian national football team, chose Rovinj in previous years.

Rovinj / Copyright Romulić and Stojčić

When asked whether Rovinj can compete specifically with Turkey, the City reminds that Dinamo players declared themselves on this issue last year. They said that, given the quality of the terrain and accommodation, Rovinj is no weaker than Turkey, where they had the opportunity to make preparations before. Last year, the conditions offered by Rovinj were praised by the then Dinamo coach Nenad Bjelica, who returned here this year to prepare with the Football club Osijek.

Marko Kuže, technical director of Dinamo, says that in Rovinj, the conditions for preparations are excellent, from accommodation to the training ground.

"On behalf of the club, staff, and players, I must express my satisfaction with the hospitality. We are always pleasantly welcomed here, and this is very important in choosing a location for such a serious work process as preparations. Considering that Rovinj is already Dinamo's winter base, we have a good experience this year. There was no need to look for a location for preparations outside of Croatia because we have everything here. We see that other teams have preparations in Istria, which is also very good for domestic tourism," says Kuže.