Southern Dalmatia if full of tradition, and it extends far beyond the tourist hub of Dubrovnik which receives far more publicity than other nearby areas. The Neretva valley and the Neretva river are not only the ‘fruit baskets’ of the country, delivering tonnes of produce to all corners of Croatia, these areas are also steeped in tradition. One such tradition is the Ladja Marathon, traditionally held every August.
As Morski writes on the 21st of July, 2020, preparations for this year’s Neretva spectacle Ladja Marathon, which will take place on Saturday, August the 8th, on the 22.5-kilometre0long regatta course from Metković to Ploče, are proceeding according to schedule, despite a series of unforeseen circumstances caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the measures which need to be respected as a result of it, local portal Rogotin.hr writes.
At the meeting of the members of the Management Board and the Supervisory Board, a number of things were discussed in order for everything to go well in the face of the current unprecedented situation with the ongoing global pandemic. The news is that this year, due to the presence of the new coronavirus, there will be no presidential ship on the Neretva river, and the President of the Republic of Croatia Zoran Milanović will follow the race from one of the other ships that will be sailing along the Neretva that day.
As this year’s Ladja Marathon will be broadcast live by HRT for the first time, the organisers will ask as many spectators as possible to stay at home, and those who choose to follow the race live along the banks of the Neretva will be invited to keep a distance from each other and wear protective masks at all times.
These are just some of the decisions that have been made in order to try to ensure that the much-loved spectacle goes ahead as normal as possible under these circumstances, and the public will be informed more and more about everything they can expect for 2020’s Ladja Marathon at the press conference of the umbrella association of Neretva boatmen, which will likely be organised next week.
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