While all eyes were already turned to Poljud and Hajduk, this year’s edition of Sports Youth Games, largest sports competition of its type in the region was officially closed on Prokurative in Split.
Whole event was filled with awards, medals, great music and most of all good vibrations with more than 600 finalists from Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. 11 medals went to Bosnia and Herzegovina (6 gold, 4 silver and 1 bronze), Serbia won 27 (8 gold, 12 silver and 7 bronze) while Croatian elementary and high school athletes won a total of 28 medals ( 9 gold, 7 silver and 12 bronze).
Organizer of the event, Zdravko Marić, who has been tirelessly working on promoting sport for the last 19 years, said he never dreamed his initiative would grow into the largest competition in the region: ” More than 130 000 children from all over Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina participated in this year’s edition both in preliminary competitions and in the finals here in Split. They showed off their skills in football, handball, street basketball, volleyball, tennis, chess, table tennis, beach volleyball and dodge ball and I can promise that we will continue to work towards including more countries in the region so expect record numbers in 2016 when we will celebrate our 20th edition”.
Closing ceremony was definitely a “not to be missed” event so among many familiar faces and dignitaries we recognised Ana and Lucija Zaninović (world and European teakwondo champions), Mayor of Zagreb Milan Bandić, Minister of education and Science Vedran Mornar and Mayor of Split Ivo Bladasar.
