a dozen times, of which five were official visits to the Croatian Olympic Committee. His first official visit to the COC was on 26 August 1993, when he presented an IOC recognition to the parents of Dražen Petrović, a splendid basketball player, who had tragically died, and whom he had highly valued. He also laid a wreath at his grave. The second one was on 15 and 16 February 1994, on his way from a noble mission of assistance to the Olympic City of Sarajevo, when he stayed in Split and met with COC leaders. The third official visit was on 17 January 1995, when he participated in the celebration of
the 3rd anniversary of Croatia’s admission to the IOC, and fourth on 7 August 1999, when he came to the Opening Ceremony of the 2nd World Military Games in Zagreb. Samaranch’s last visit to Zagreb was on 17 January 2007, when he participated in the Great Day of Croatian Sport celebrating the 15th anniversary of Croatia’s admission to the IOC. Before the foundation of the Croatian Olympic Committee in 1991, he visited Croatia during the 1979 Mediterranean Games in Split as an IOC Member and Vice-President of the International Mediterranean Games Committee, and in 1981, when he attended the Opening
Ceremony of the 15th European Aquatics Championships in Split. In 1985, he visited the construction sites of the venues for the Zagreb World University Games and then came again to attend their Opening Ceremony in 1987. In 1989, he attended the Opening Ceremony of the Men’s European Basketball Championship in Zagreb and finally, he attended the Opening Ceremony of the XV European Athletics Championships in Split in August 1990, in what was already a dramatic time for Croatia.
presence of COC Vice-President Nada Senčar and Morana PalikovićGruden, COC Council Member and Chairwoman of the Care for Women in Sport Commission, who encouraged the COC to nominate Danira Nakić Bilić for the award.
First Generation of ASMC Graduates Zagreb 2009 Danira Nakić Bilić the only Croatian woman athlete who has received this prestigious award. Two-time world medallist, Danira Nakić Bilić has been honoured as Europe’s best female basketball player three times. She received the 1991 Croatia’s Best Woman Athlete Award. Since 2009, she has been a member of the Culture and Olympic Education Commission of the European Olympic Committees and since 2010, Chairwoman of the National Sports Council. She has received a number of awards and recognitions, among others, the Franjo Bučar National Sports Award. The IOC Women and Sport Award was presented to her by IOC President Jacques Rogge in the
The Croatian Olympic Committee in cooperation with the IOC Olympic Solidarity, trained the first generation of sports officials in sports management by implementing the Advanced Sport Management Courses (ASMC) from February to November 2009. It was among the first in Europe to implement this important Olympic task. The ASMC program in Croatia, led by Director Alma Papić, was successfully completed by representatives of 14 national sports associations: Alen Gere (Croatian Deaf Sports Association), Većeslav Holjevac (Croatian Rugby Union), Goran Jukić (Croatian Table Tennis Association), Ivica Urbanc (Croatian Orienteering Federation), Lidija Petrinović Zekan (Croatian Badminton Association),
Alen Nađsombat (Croatian Billiard Association), Miro Jurmanović (Croatian Judo Federation), Snježana Šimunović Suknaić (Croatian Bocce Federation), Slaven Zlatar and Žarko Babić (Croatian Hockey Federation), Alojz Mauser and Goran Ahel (Croatian Archery Federation), Luka Markić (Croatian Roller-Skating Federation) and Ante Šalinović (Croatian Football Federation).
Virtual Olympic Congress Copenhagen 2009 The 13th Olympic Congress titled The Olympic Movement in Society was held in Copenhagen from 3 to 5 September 2009. It included discussion about athletes – the relationship among athletes, clubs, federations and national Olympic committees; about the Olympic Games – how to keep them a premier event; about the structure of the Olympic movement – its autonomy, governance and ethics; about Olympism and youth – competitions, moving towards an active society, and about the digital revolution - the media and the public and sports rights. The Congress, chaired by IOC President Jacques Rogge in the presence of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, was attended by IOC
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