20 years of the Croatian Olympic Committee
(1991 - 2011)
Ćorluka and Zvonimir Boban, who was also appointed the Chairman of the Board (Sportske Novosti). Biserka Vrbek, COC Assistant Secretary General for Legal Matters, was appointed the acting Foundation Manager. In 2007, she was appointed the Foundation Manager. The Foundation assisted a number of Croatian athletes, among whom were Miro Poljak, Mate Parlov, Albin Vidović, Goran Gajić, Stanko Piljak, Sandra Paović, Ante Nakić Alfirević…
Croatia’s First Participation in Island Games Sicily 2006 The Island Games were founded by the Regional Olympic and Sports Committee of the French island of Corsica, where the 1st Games were held, in 1977. The first time that Croatia’s representatives, a sports delegation from the island of Korčula, participated in them was at the 10th Games, held in Sicily, Italy, from 22 to 28 May 2006. The Croatian team consisted of 44 athletes, who competed in handball, tennis, table tennis and swimming. The Games also featured competition in athletics, basketball, gymnastics, judo, volleyball and sailing. The Games include athletes up to 15 years of age. Their objective is more efficient integration of young people living on islands into the international sports and Olympic movement. 17 islands from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans are full members of the Island Games Committee. Among them are French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Greek islands, Malta, British islands and Cape Verde. Korčula was an associate member until 2009, after which it became a full member.
Croatian Fair Play Committee Founded Zagreb 2006 The Croatian Olympic Committee, in cooperation with the Croatian Sports Journalists Association, founded the Croatian Fair Play Committee in May 2006. Its objectives are to systematically promote fair play, abiding by the principles of tolerance and mutual respect in all forms of sport, to contribute to the progress of the fair play movement worldwide in compliance with the rules of the International and European Fair Play Movement, co-founded by the Croatian Olympic Committee, as well. The first members – Olympians, Croatian sports dignitaries and journalists - were appointed in September 2007: Stojko Vranković, Nada Senčar, Gordan Kožulj, Verica Haraminčić, Morana Paliković Gruden, Romana Caput Jogunica, Goran Jukić, Luciano Sušanj, Dubravko Ižaković, Jura Ozmec, Biserka Vrbek, Marin Šarec, Romano Janečić and Ivana Lukačić. The Council appointed Biserka Perman, top athlete and Committee member, as Chairwoman of the Croatian Fair Play Committee. Thanks to the adroitness of Croatia’s representatives on the European Fair Play Movement (EFPM), Croatia hosted the 17th Fair Play Congress titled Sport as a Part of Culture and the EFPM General Assembly in Poreč in 2011. Recipients of the special 2010 COC Fair Play Award: Labud Sailing Club from Split, athletes Nikola Bralić and Dominik Perković and coaches Tonči Antunović and Vedran Mandić
Pavle Kostov and Petar Cupać, Croatia’s 49er sailing team at the Beijing Olympic Games, received a Fair Play Trophy for an Act of Fair Play from the International Fair Play Committee in Istanbul on 26 January 2009. This prestigious award was presented to them by Miroslav Cerar, President of the EFPM Awards Jury. The Croatian sailors and their coach Ivan Bulaja earned this award for fostering the Olympic values by lending their boat to the Danish team, whose mast had broken just before the start of the medal race at the Beijing Olympic Games. The Danish team won the Olympic gold medal in it.
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