May the 11th, 2024 – For the first time, a comprehensive history of Croatian para swimming has been showcased in an exhibition set to make its way around the nation.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Croatian Paralympic Committee (HPO), an exhibition called ‘Eight Paths of the Hidden Frame’ was opened at the Faculty of Kinesiology in Osijek.
The exhibition shows the history of Croatian para swimming. At the ceremonial opening held at the beginning of the month, the exhibition was opened by Mario Burek, an adviser from the Regional Office of the Ombudsman for Persons with Disabilities in Osijek.
The Croatian Sports Museum organised the exhibition in cooperation with the Croatian Paralympic Committee and the Croatian Para Swimming Association (HPPS), under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Media. The authors of the exhibition are Martina Vargek, curator of the Croatian Sports Museum and Ana Sršen, Croatian Paralympian and vice-president of the HPO. It was precisely Ana who collected and consolidated all the information about the numerous results and successes of Croatian para swimming in one place for the first time.
Interested students and professors of the Josip Juraj Strossmayer University in Osijek, members of local associations of people with disabilities and sports clubs and other interested individuals gathered at the official opening of the exhibition in Osijek. After the opening of the exhibition and the welcoming speeches of representatives of the Faculty of Kinesiology in Osijek, Martina Vargek led the participants through the entire exhibition and presented five units that highlighted the development of para sports and Croatian para swimming.
The first part showcases the development of parasports and Croatian para swimming during the historical development of HPO and HPPS. Roko Mikelin Opara, Ana Sršen, Mihovil Španja, Kristijan Vincetić, Dino Sinovčić, Sanja Milojević, Ante Rađa and Emma Mečić are all presented in the second group according to the order of medals won at the Paralympic Games, bothh global and European. Other swimmers, participants of the Paralympic Games – Nataša Sobočan, Matija Grebenić, Tomi Brajša and Paula Novina – were also all highlighted.
The third part of the Croatian para swimming exhibition introduces visitors to the disciplines in para swimming and sports classes. The fourth refers to the historical development and review of Croatian swimmers’ medals from the Paralympic Games, global and European championships.
The last part of the exhibition called brings viewers interviews with Emma Mečić and Ana Sršen, as well as Roko Mikelin Opar, Dino Sinovčić, Mihovil Španja and Kristijan Vincetić.
The exhibition is adapted for blind and partially sighted people with audio description of texts in Croatian and English. The exhibition will be on display at the Faculty of Kinesiology in Osijek until May the 29th, 2024, and after that it will move to be showcased in other cities across Croatia.
