April 24, 2022 - The group draw for the European Water Polo Championship was held in a spectacular way at Peristyle, inside Diocletian's Palace. The Croatia women's team will face Germany, Hungary, Greece, the Netherlands, and Romania, while the men will face Greece, Malta, and France in the main water polo tournament on the continent, which will be held in Split in August.

Peristyle and water polo. At first, it sounds like a weird date, but if you found yourself nearby last night, you definitely made sure it was a winning combination. Magical and spectacular. Epithets followed one after the other because, in the world of water polo, such an event has not been seen so far, reports Slobodna Dalmacija. This was the first touch of the seemingly incompatible.

History in the service of sports - so the organizers announced the draw of groups for the European Water Polo Championship, which is scheduled from August 27 to September 10 in Split. What they promised, they fulfilled. The special occasion took place at the historic square in front of the Cathedral of St. Duje, where a wedding ceremony ended just before the start of the event. The happy newlyweds further complemented the already glamorous atmosphere.

There were also curious tourists. Everyone wanted to see what was going on at the Peristyle... and then it started. Ana Rucner opened with a cello performance. The official mascot of the European Water Polo Championship in Split, the seagull Roko, was then presented.

The program was hosted by Mirta Šurjak and Marko Šapit, with a live television broadcast. The central part of the event, the draw itself, started with the draw of groups for the women's part of the tournament. Recall, both Russian national teams were eliminated from the tournament, so there were small changes in the strong groups.

The balls were drawn by two special guests. They were Josip Pavić, our celebrated water polo player, and today's envoy of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. He was named the best player of the tournament 12 years ago when Croatia last hosted.

A touch of handball was brought in by Petar Metličić. Just as they should be, water polo and handball are the two most trophy-winning Croatian sports, they have delighted us countless times with their medals. Croatian water polo female players will play in a group with Germany, Hungary, Greece, the Netherlands, and Romania.

Photo: Miroslav Lelas/PIXSELL

The ladies had the advantage, followed by the group draw for the men's squads. The balls were drawn by the legendary Blanka Vlašić and no less famous water polo player Deni Lušić.

Croatia will play in Group B with Greece, Malta, and France. It could have been easier, but also harder. Slobodna Dalmacija asked the coach Ivica Tucak for a comment.

''For me, this is the most difficult group. The Greeks are Olympic runners-up, and France is certainly the strongest team from the second pot. They have recently beaten Spain, and are growing and investing heavily as they are hosting the next Olympics. Of course, the group is only the first step. It remains to be seen which group we are crossing with''.

The goals of Croatian water polo players are always the highest.

''The wish is to go as far as possible, if possible to gold. I expect it will be a pleasure to play at the Spaladium Arena. I want it to be the wind in our backs to show our best version. Summer is crowded. We must first think about the World Cup, and then we will focus on the Euro'', said Tucak.

The anthem of the European Water Polo Championship called "Until the Last Breath" was also presented, and it was performed by Lidija Bačić, Goran Karan, and the klapa Sebenico.

The groups were formed as follows:

Women

Group A:

1. Germany

2. Croatia

3. Hungary

4. Greece

5. The Netherlands

6. Romania

Group B:

1. Serbia

2. France

3. Slovakia

4. Italy

5. Israel

6. Spain

Men

Group A:

1. Italy

2. Georgia

3. Slovakia

4. Montenegro

Group B:

1. Greece

2. Malta

3. France

4. Croatia

Group C:

1. Romania

2. Germany

3. Spain

4. The Netherlands

Group D:

1. Serbia

2. Hungary

3. Israel

4. Slovenia

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

November 21, 2019 - The 5th round of the LEN Champions League was held on Tuesday and Wednesday, which featured Croatian clubs Jadran Split, Jug AO, and Mladost Zagreb.

Jadran Split played an excellent match in the 5th round of Group A against Szolnok in Hungary on Tuesday, though in the end, they lost 5:4. The Split side played with superb defense, goalkeeper Mate Anic had a memorable night, and the brilliant Zvonimir Butic scored all four goals for Jadran.

In the first quarter, only one goal was scored by the home side, and only in the 13th minute did we see the second goal, when Butic equalized for 1:1. Szolnok finished the second quarter with a 3:1 lead, and then in the third led 4:1. Butic reduced the lead to 4:2, and the Hungarian club scored once more in the last eight minutes of the match for 5:2.

Butic again reduced the result to 5:4 in less than two minutes to go. Jadran arrived in Hungary without Setka and Krapic, Pejkovic and Butic,and Zovic. 

Jug AO defeated Russian club Sintez Kazan 18:10 (7:0, 4:2, 4:3, 3:5) at home in the 5th round of Group A. Loren Fatovic was the best for Jug with five goals and Paulo Obradovic scored three. Alexei Bugaychuk was the best for Sintez with three goals.

In the remaining games of Group A,  Olympiacos celebrated at home against Spandau 13:8, and Barceloneta celebrated away against Jadran Herceg Novi 13:12.

Olympiacos has a maximum of 15 points, Jug and Barceloneta follow with 12 points each, Szolnok has nine points and Jadran Split has four points. Sintez follows with three points, Spandau 04 has two,and Jadran Herceg Novi has one.

On Wednesday in the 5th round of Group B, Mladost defeated Hannover 15:13 (4:3, 4:4, 2:3, 5:3) in Zagreb, registering their third victory in the group.

Mladost had a hard but well-deserved victory over the German squad, who recorded their fifth defeat. Hanover only led once in the match (2:1), but the result was equal eight times. The key was brilliantly opening the last quarter, in which Mladost scored three goals for 13:10. Hanover reduced the lead to 13:12, but the home side scored two goals in a row for 15:12 and confirmed the victory.

Milos Cuk was most efficient for Mladost with six goals, Alexander Brant Bowen scored three goals, and Cosmin Radu and Aljosa Kunac scored two goals each, while Ivan Marcelic had seven saves in goal. For Hanover, Aleksandar Radovic scored four goals and Darko Brguljan scored three goals.

In Bologna, Pro Recco went 13:13 against Ferencvaros, breaking their winning streak in Champions League home games, which lasted 33 games.

The last time Pro Recco, led by former Croatia coach Ratko Rudic, did not celebrate at home in Europe was six years ago when Rijeka's Primorje won 8:6.

Ferencvaros leads Group B with 13 points, Hungary's OSC is in second with 12 points, Pro Recco fell to third with 11 points, and Mladost is fourth with 10 points. They are followed by Marseille (9), Terrassa (3), Hanover (0) and Dinamo (0).

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

September 15,  2019 - Water polo club Jadran Split swept their group with three victories in Belgrade this weekend in the second round of the LEN Champions League qualifications, thus securing a spot in the Champions League play-off round next weekend. 

Dalmatinski Portal reports that in the last round on Sunday, Jadran convincingly defeated French club Pays d'Aix Natation. In the first and second round, Jadran topped Greek club Vouliagmeni and hometown heroes Crvena Zvezda. 

The first quarter was off to an unusual start, which saw Pays d'Aix Natation receive three five-meter penalties, all of which they scored. Thus, a 4:4 result after eight minutes of play was excellent for the Split club. In the second quarter, Jadran scored four goals for 4:1, despite the elimination of Nathan Power. A result of 8:5 for Jadran at the half was promising.

The French club no longer had the strength or the ability to get back in the match, and Jadran dominated in the third quarter, which was closed with a goal by Ante Visković for 13:7. Jadran kept their composure until the end of the match, and with a result of 16:9, they secured their second consecutive year in the Champions League play-off round. 

Last season, Jadran’s opponent in the play-off round was Jadran Herceg Novi, who they defeated for a spot in Champions League Group B, where they finished fifth among eight clubs. A job well done in Belgrade gives the Spit club the right to believe that this year, they again have the quality to repeat last year's place among the 16 best teams in Europe. 

The play-off round draw is scheduled for Tuesday. Four pairs will play home and away, and the four winners will then be split into two Champions League groups, with Jug CO and Mladost already qualified from the Croatian clubs.

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

March 21, 2019 - TCN meets Nathan Power, a 26-year-old water polo player from Newcastle, Australia in his third year in Croatia. Power sat down with us to discuss life in Rijeka vs. Split, the stellar season of VK Jadran Split, the Australian national team (and his Croatian coach), and the things he likes most in Dalmatia - from pašticada to patron saints. 

At 26, you’ve played at two clubs in Croatia and achieved the Australia national team's best result after winning the silver at the FINA World Cup last summer. How did your water polo story begin?

I started playing at the age of 13 for Central Newcastle. Water polo had been my mother’s sport, and this was her local club. From early on I was lucky enough to be picked on representative teams and get to travel all over. A few years later I made my National League debut in Australia for the Hunter Hurricanes, my hometown team. At the age of 20, I was given my first games for the Australian men’s team. I also moved to Sydney and played for three years with the UNSW West Magpies. Then at the beginning of the 2016/17 water polo season, I made a move over to Rijeka to play for Primorje.

VK Jadran Facebook

It’s your third year in Croatia and second year in Split. What have you taken away from your experience so far?

I feel like my knowledge and understanding of the game have increased in the time I’ve spent over here. Playing these three years in both domestic and European club competitions has meant that I’ve been able to learn from competing against some of the world’s top players regularly. I’ve also been lucky to have some very talented and experienced teammates who have been able to teach me.

Also, one of the significant benefits of playing in Europe for an Australian is the chance to focus on improving as a water polo player entirely. In Australia, we must train very early in the morning and late at night, with the hours between dedicated to our university study or our jobs. This can be very taxing both physically and mentally as the chance to rest and recover is quite minimal. Whereas here in Europe, I’ve been able to have a less busy time away from the pool, which allows a better focus and chance to improve in the pool.

Before you moved to Croatia did you have any prior experiences with the country?

Before living in Croatia, I had been fortunate to visit many times with the Australian water polo team. Our Head Coach, Elvis Fatović, and Strength and Conditioning coach, Dejan Kontić, are both from Dubrovnik, which meant we have been fortunate in getting to use Dubrovnik as a base for preparations when we come to Europe. I still remember my first time visiting that city. Before arriving I really didn’t know much at all about the town, but the moment we landed and drove that winding road along the coast that passes above the old town, its beauty was captivating. 

Now that you’ve lived in both…Rijeka or Split? 

The transition to living in Rijeka I found to be quite easy. The people who I would interact with at cafes, restaurants, and bars were very welcoming and accommodating, leaving me feeling settled pretty quickly. The town has a very open mentality and that translated into it being a very fun place to live. Also, the nearby town of Opatija is incredibly beautiful and has some fantastic restaurants and coffee spots. I guess one thing that did take time to adjust to here was the weather, and I can understand now after living there why there is a reputation for the rain.

In Split, it took longer for me to get settled. My teammates and those involved with the club were great, but my initial interactions with the broader Split community wasn’t as pleasant as Rijeka. This is understandable given the high volume of tourism to Split and my unfamiliarity of the better places to visit in the town. As time passed and I got the chance to frequent places regularly and show that I wasn’t just a tourist, the interactions became far more pleasant. Now after being here for quite a while I have developed some great friends and am feeling very settled into Split life.

Simone Squarzanti

And how is life in Split?

Life in Split is really good. Coming from Australia I’m quite used to having a nice temperature for most of the year, and I find that the weather here in Split manages to stay good most of the year. Though I will say it has taken some time to get used to experiencing the bura and the strength it has. 

In my free time, I’m either at home trying to rest between sessions or getting out to have a coffee in the city. The old town is so beautiful, making it a great place to sit out with a coffee and do some study or relax. Now that the sea temperature is climbing back up I’ll also be looking to spending more time down at Zvončac in the sea.

For food, I eat quite a bit at Oštarija u Viđakovi and can say I’ve developed a soft spot for pašticada. I also really enjoy getting out and experiencing some of the great restaurants in the city. There is a good mix of domestic cuisine and places bringing new flavors to the town. 

After three years here, you must have developed some favorite things about Croatia.

I would say the Croatian coast is definitely a favorite of mine, there are some incredibly beautiful towns along the coast, like Split and Dubrovnik. I’ve also had the chance to visit the islands off these two towns and found them beautiful… and tranquil, which is a great escape to the busier coastal towns. The national parks are another place in Croatia that stand out to me, and I still think about Krka.

Croatia also has some great events that I have really enjoyed experiencing. Rijeka’s Carnival and Split’s Sveti Duje celebration are both days where it’s incredible to see the towns come alive and everybody comes together. The Advent festival is also something which I have grown to enjoy. It’s something that we don’t really do in Australia; to see how the towns transform into these Christmas wonderlands packed full of great food and culture is very cool. I was blown away the first time is saw the Advent up in Zagreb, even though it was too cold to feel my face. 

Let’s switch gears to water polo. It’s been an incredible year for Jadran who played in the Champions League for the first time in 24 years, and the club is also doing well in the Regional League. There is an excellent atmosphere at the Poljud pool, and you're drawing big crowds. How is the atmosphere within the team? What are the goals for the end of the season? 

This has been a really enjoyable season so far with Jadran. The addition of Champions league games has been great and, as you said, has created a great atmosphere at the pool. Looking forward, we are reaching the climax of the season and have some incredibly important games to come over the next month and a half in the Champions League, Adriatic League finals and the Croatian League finals. We have proven this season that we can be competitive with the top teams and I believe that we can produce something special in these final months of the season.

And Jadran celebrates 100 years next year. 

Jadran is a proud club with a great history. Reaching 100 years as a club is an immense achievement and will be cause for great celebration for Jadran Split next season. As noted before, the atmosphere around the pool has picked up this season with the addition of Champions league water polo and I’m sure the atmosphere will continue to grow next year during their 100th year.

You're heading back to Australia this week for national team duties in the Intercontinental Cup. 

This will be an exciting year with the Australian team as we look to build on the momentum we gained from last years World Cup event in Berlin. 

The first event is the Intercontinental Cup in Perth next week and we will be focused on having a great showing and taking it out. We don’t get the opportunity to play International water polo in our home country as much as the European nations, so any chance we get to pull on an Aussie Cap at home is always incredible.

This year the big absence is the USA, as since the event’s inception it has been either Americans or ourselves who have won the tournament. Looking at our opposition, there are definitely still some challenges if we are to come out on top. In our group, we have games against Canada and Japan where we must be focused. Japan especially, as even though we are incredibly familiar with them, they possess a unique style of play that can cause trouble for the opposition. And then later in the tournament, a potential match against Asian Games' champion Kazakstan is sure to be a physical encounter. In saying all that, I am very confident in our team and our ability to succeed in this tournament.

You’ll also be back with Australian national team this summer. What’s in store?

After that our big tournaments for the year will be the FINA World League in Belgrade and the FINA World Championships in South Korea. From what I understand we have some strong training partners lined up prior to these tournaments, so I believe we will be heading into them with the best preparation possible. It will be interesting to see the groups for the World Championships once they are drawn. 

VK Jadran

Career goals?

The big goal on the horizon at the moment is the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo. Having been in the Australian team since 2013 and seen how we have developed as a group I truly believe we are on track to push for Australia’s best result in the men's water polo competition.

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

November 26, 2018 - Josip Pavić, Xavi Garcia, Luka Lončar and Andro Bušlje will fight for the title of the best water polo player in the world this year.