Minister Krstičević attends state award for sport

The recipients of the 2018 Award include the Croatian national football team (males), its Coach  Zlatko Dalić, athletes Luka Modrić, Josip Bilić, Tin Srbić, Ivo Trumbić, Miho Bošković, Dino Sinovčić, Neven Bertičević, Boško Božić, Vjekoslav Šafranić and Petra Deša, while the recipients of the award for lifetime achievement are Vladimir Janković, Milka Babović and Mate Parlov (posthumously).

The recipients were congratulated by the Deputy Prime Minister (also on behalf of the Prime Minister) Damir Krstičević, who stressed that 2018 was a historic year for Croatia and top athletes as its best promoters throughout the world. 

“We are proud of our  athletes’ achievements in this historic year for Croatia, a country of winners!”, said Minister Krstičević. 

“This summer we witnessed to the example by the Croatian national football team and the coach, who demonstrated the play, unity, courage, sacrifice and team spirit reap scores and trophies; we are also proud of Croatia’s tennis players who have won Davis Cup and other top athletes who serve as members of the reserve component  of the Croatian Armed Forces – brothers Martin and Valentin Sinković and other top athletes who have won a series of medals and trophies”, said the Minister.

The ceremony was also attended by the Envoy and Advisor to the President of the Republic Tomislav Madžar, by the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Gordan Jandroković, the Deputy State Secretary of the State Office for Sport Krešimir Šamija and many athletes, Prior to the ceremony the invitees visited the exhibition “Franjo Bučar”.
The Envoy of the President Tomislav Madžar forwarded the congratulations from the President of the Republic to the recipients, stressing that the awards  were an excellent reminder of the trophies of top athletes in the past years.  
The Minister reminded that the year 2018 had been proclaimed the Year of Readiness and Activity of Croatian soldiers, featuring  the “Viribus Unitis” competition opened on 27 November, gathering the members of the Croatian Armed Forces, of the Ministry of the Interior, of the Ministry of Justice, of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service  and Croatian Firefighter Association. 

Congratulating the recipients the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Gordan Jandroković said Franjo Bučar left a lasting mark in the history of sport in Croatia “We have to be proud and aware of Croatia’s sport achievements”. 

“The Franjo Bučar Award is the most important state award for sport achievements”, said the Deputy State Secretary for Sport Krešimir Šamija, and also reminded that the Government in office increased the sport budget by ca 1 mil HRK.

Vladimir Janković addressed the audience on behalf of the recipients, stressing that sport was more than medals and records, that i was about bringing up youth and the lasting health benefits. “The recipients of the Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport still have a lot of work and study  ahead of them, and so do the recipients of lifetime achievement, who have a vast knowledge to pass on to younger generations  award and continue to learn themselves”. 

The national sport award  “Franjo Bučar” was founded in 1991 and comprises a medal with the image of Franjo Bučar, a diplomma and cash prize)