Minister Krstičević meets with top athletes in the Croatian Armed Forces

The Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Damir Krstičević and the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces General Mirko Šundov on 18 October 2019 met with the the top athletes serving in the contract reserve component of the Croatian Armed Forces, among whom the silver medalist at the World Gymnastics Championships Tin Srbić.

The meeting with top athletes, whose achievements have promoted the Croatian Armed Forces and the Republic of Croatia, was also attended by the Vice-President of the Croatian Olympic Committee Sanda Čorak, by the Dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology of the University of Zagreb Tomislav Krističević and by representatives of the Ministry of Defence, of the the Croatian Armed Forces and of the Croatian Olympic Committee.

Minister Krstičević to the athletes: “With you, the Croatian Army gains added value and a new dimension of excellence”

Minister Krstičević congratulated the top athletes on all their successes and extended appreciation for the hard work and talent invested into presenting their homeland and the Croatian Armed Forces: “We are glad to have you with us in the family of the Croatian Armed forces”, said the Minister.

Along with the international promotion of the Republic of Croatia and of the Croatian Armed Forces the top athletes have contributed through the co-operation focussed on physical readiness of the soldiers and through specific training for the special forces. Some of them took part in the largest exercise of the Croatian Armed Forces – “Velebit 18 – Joint Force”, conducted in October 2018.

Underlining the importance of the reserve component for the Croatian Armed Forces, the Minister told the athletes: “You make the added value for the Croatian Armed Forces and a new dimension of excellence necessary for the challenges ahead of us. May your hard work and commitment serve as an inspiration to all members of the victorious Croatian Armed Forces, which should always strive towards excellence”.

The Minister also stressed the increased organisational billets earmarked for top athletes to 42, which would be even bigger, and recalled the investments into sport infrastructure over the past three years (comprising the construction or refurbishment of gyms and fields and the uniform training gear for all members of the Croatian Armed Forces: “The Ministry has provided the necessary conditions to active practice of our soldiers and to build sport spirit, teamwork and unity“.

Speaking of the role of sport in the Croatian military since its establishment, the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces General Mirko Šundov emphasised persistence, performance and discipline as characteristics common of top athletes and good soldiers.

Maintaining physical readiness we also maintain and upgrade other aspects of readiness, personal and collective alike. Sports build consistent, tough and motivated individuals who are capable of responding to any challenges assigned to them. General Šundov also cited the activities conducted in the Croatian Armed Forces – “The Physical Readiness Challenge – Viribus Unitis“ and the “Memorijal bojnik Davor Jović – the Fittest for Croatia“ competition.

The Vice-President of the Croatian Olympic Committee Sanda Čorak extended appreciation to the Ministry of Defence and to the Croatian Armed Forces for the successful co-operation, which was a good concept of employment that provided security and support to athletes while promoting Croatia and its Armed Forces.

The Dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology Tomislav Krističević reminded of the co-operation between the Kinesiology Faculty and the Ministry of Defence dating from Homeland War.“I am glad that the Ministry of Defence adopted the model to assist the sport and athletes in Croatia to prepare for the medal-winning performances, which promote Croatia abroad“.

Top athletes: “Proud to promote the Croatian Armed Forces”

On behalf of the athletes , the world gold gymnastics medalist Tin Srbić extended appreciation for the support from the Croatian Armed Forces _ The engagement of top athletes in the reserve compoonent is a great concept both for the Croatian Armed Forces and for the athletes, who get the opportunity to present the Croatian Armed Forces at the world scale and I take every chance to proudly state that I am a part of them“.

Rowers Martin and Valent Sinković said the support from the Ministry of Defence, headed by Minister Krstičević, was a major honour and motivation. “Our contribution to the Croatian Armed Forces consists by promoting healthy lifestyle and active sport practice, focussed on physical and psychological well-being. We held a motivational speech at Sljeme earlier, and will deliver a presentation titled “The Path to Success“ for the cadets of the Croatian Defence Academy “Dr Franjo Tuđman“ in November“, said Martin Sinković.

During their visits the athletes saw the pilot overalls of the heroic pilot Rudolf Perešin displayed in the lobby of the Ministry of Defence.

The reserve component of the Croatian Armed Forces comprises a total of 41 top athletes.

The employment of top athletes in the Ministry of Defence was launched in 2010, based on positive experiences of European countries and formalised through the Agreement between the MoD and the Croatian

Olympic Committee on Co-operation, Promotion and Development of Sport in the Republic of Croatia, signed on 27 February 2015.

The Croatian Armed Forces have co-operated successfully with top athletes and national teams coaches, and nurtured discipline and active and healthy lifestyles of the members.

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