ZAGREB, November 23, 2018 – Sports cooperation between Croatia and China was presented in the Dražen Petrović Basketball Hall in Zagreb on Friday, and the event was attended by Chinese Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan.
Mrs Sun was accompanied by Cao Weidong, Chairman of the Beijing Sports University, the largest sports university in the world, and a Chinese government delegation. They watched a basketball match between Croatian and Chinese students, which kicked off the event.
Over a hundred Chinese children of all ages come to Croatia every year to attend Croatian sports programmes and train in sports in which Croatia is traditionally strong, such as football, handball, water polo and basketball.
“I have come to visit young Chinese athletes in Croatia to see how they are doing in their education and training in a country that takes pride in its incredible sporting successes. In Croatia, they will learn a lot about sports technology and tactics in sports that are not so developed in China, such as handball and water polo. In the future, these young athletes will be a bridge of friendship between our countries, and they will make lots of friends in Croatia. I take this opportunity to invite young Croatian students and athletes to come to China,” Sun said.
This project began ten years ago with the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Croatian and the Chinese Olympic Committee, and it includes exchanges of athletes, coaches, teachers and sports knowledge, project leader Damir Knjaz said.
“This cooperation is proof of the quality and expertise of the University of Zagreb and its Faculty of Kinesiology, which offers professional education and advanced training to Chinese students. The young Chinese will learn Croatian and become a bridge between Croatia and China, which will be a leading country in all areas within the next 20 years,” said the head of the University of Zagreb, Damir Boras.
For more on the relations between Croatia and China, click here.
