Young Croatian basketball players, under the age of 16, have won the title of European champions in the competition organized by FIBA in Novi Sad. Having eleminated France in the semifinals, Croatia managed to achieve a very narowin of 71:70 in a dramatic match with Spanish boys. Roko Prkačin on the photo was proclaimed as the most valuable player, and he was elected to the All-Star Five, along with another Croatian player Boris Tišma. Croatia has already won two champion titles, in 2010 and 2011.
Author: Nenad N. Bach and Darko Žubrinić
Sime and Mihovil Fantela 2018 world championship in sailing in Aarhus Denmark
Brothers Šime and Mihovil Fantela of Croatia have sensationally won gold medals at the 2018 Sailing World Championship in 49er class, organized in Aarhus, Denmark. Nobody has expected this triumph, not even the Fantela brothers. The silver medals have been won by French team, and the bronze medals by German team.
Sandra Perkovic winner of gold medal in discus throw at 2018 Europan Championshps in Berlin
Not only that Sandra Perković has won her gold European medal in discus throw in 2018, but it was her fifth consecutive gold medal at European championships! This makes her unique sportsowoman in the history of European athletics. Sandra Perković is also a former Olympic and World champion, one o of the most dominant figures in the history discus throw.
Valent and Martin Sinkovic winning gold medals at European Rowing Championship in Glasgow 2018
Brothers Valent and Martin Sinković won gold medals at the European Rowing Chapionship organized in Glasgow, Scotland, in front of France and Romania. They have confirmed their dominance on the world scene during the last years, since they are also World champions and Olympic champions. More precisely, they have added a third European title to the Olympic gold and four world golds they have earned together over a decade of success.
Oliver Dragojevic 1947-2018 distinguished Croatian pop musician and composer
Except in Croatia, he had concerts at Olympia in Paris, Carnegie Hall in New York, Pearl Theatre in Las Vegas, Royal Albert Hall in London, Konzerthaus in Vienna, Opera House in Sydney. Umra je Oliver. Zamuča je rašpavi glas koji smo svi volili. Michael Bolton iz Vela Luke. Zamučala je Dalmacija, zamučali smo smi mi koji smo uz njegove pisme živili. Resli, jubili, pivali, guštali, sičali se, sanjali. … Ne znan kako vaman, ali meni je ona najtipičnija slika Dalmacije zalaz sunca iza otoka, bonaca, i zvuk četverotaktnog motora na trabukulu negdi u kanalu. A najtipičniji glas Dalmacije voljene je Oliver. Bog ga blagoslovija! Maja. Written by Maja Cioni (b. Bulić), Paris.
Anthological events behind fantastic Croatian games at FIFA World Cup in 2018
Croatian presence at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russian Federation has caused unprecedented interest world-wide for various reasons. First of all, due to the quality of players like Madrić, Rakitić, Mandžukić, Lovren etc., their determination in each game to show the maximum, and above all, on the human side. Presence of their wives and children added a special flavor, as well as respect for sportsmen from other countries, since today there are not easy opponents. Probably the most interesting was exceptionally warm reception of Croatian players not only in their homeland, but also wroldwide. On the photo Luka Modrić with his beautiful wife Vanja Bosnić.
Renata Novoselec author of a new violin methodology for teaching deaf
Renata Novoselec, Zagreb, Croatia, is an author of a new methodology of learning how to play the violin. In addition to the developmental component, the project has therapeutic goals. It is focused on deaf people, and also on those with physical and mental disabilities. It is available for anyone who wants to learn how to play the violin, but hasn’t had any formal musical education yet. According to Thomas Sanderling, world’s famous German conductor, ‘It is revolution in world of music and in world of deaf people.’
Silver medal of diamond glitter for Croatia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup final with golden France
Croatia celebrates on of the greatest successes in its sports history – the second place at the FIFA World Cup Tournament in Moscow. We mention the deserving players: Mandžukić, Rebić, Modrić, Perišić, Rakitić, Brozović, Vrsaljko, Lovren, Vida, Strinić, and the deserving coach Dalić. We believe that the Croatian team has shown the most attractive football play during the World Cup tournament. It is no surprise that Luka Modrić (on the photo) has won the prestigious Golden Ball – Balon d’or. Luka Modrić shares his second name with Professor Paul L. Modrich, USA, 2015 Nobel prize winner Chemistry, who has Croatian roots. We also add a lovely story about the most famous photographer at the moment, thanks to the goal od Croatia.
Croatia and France in the final of the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Moscow
This is the greatest succes of Croatian football in history, surpassing the third place of Croatian soccer team in 1998 during the FIFA World Cup in France. We recall the names of Davor Šuker, Zvonimir Boban and Slaven Bilić from 1998, and the names of Luka Modrić, Ivan Rakitić and Dejan Lovren in 2018. Before arriving to the final match, Croatian won in matches with very strong teams: England, Russian Federation, Denmark, Argentina and Nigeria. Furthermore, we indicate in this article some very interesting historical and cultural contacts between Croatia and France. On the photo Domagoj Vida immediately after the match with England, with his kids and the kids of Ivan Perišić.
Croatia 2 – 1 England at the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Moscow
Croatian win in the semifinal match with England at the FIFA World Cup 2018 has shown that the claim that Croatia is a small country is ridiculous. Croatia was for the first time recognized by the Roman Pope already in the 9th century, or more precisely, in 879. Rugjer Bošković (Ruggero Boscovich, on the photo), distinguished Croatian polymath and Jesuit from the 18th century, predicted the existence of nuclear forces almost two centuries before their discovery. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society and the greatest acclaim of this scholar came from England and France.
Croatia – England semifinal soccer match at FIFA World Cup 2018 in Moscow
In 2007, Croatia has won 3 – 2 in a soccer match with England in London at Wembley, in a qualification match for European championships. Due to this win, Russia was placed second in the group, just after Croatia, while England was placed the third. As Slaven Bilić, Croatian coach at that time, explained, the Croatian team was at that time simply better than the English team. How strong various soccer teams are today has been shown by Iceland, by winning in a match with England at EURO 2016. On the photo Dr. Kathy Wilkes, Oxford, distinguished English humanist, who spent very turbulent years 1991 and 1992 in Dubrovnik, Croatia. We owe her our eternal gratitude. When she died in 2003, according to her wish she was burried in Croatia.
Croatia 2 (4) – Russian Federation 2 (3) at the FIFA World Cup 2018
Croatia has won in a dramatic soccer match with Russian Federation, which was the host country of the FIFA World Cup Tournament 2018. On the photo Luka Modrić, captain of Croatian team. We indicate several very interesting historical and cultural contacts with Russia. Recall that the Croatian win in a soccer match with England in 2007 enabled Russia to participate at the European Championship in 2008. On that occasion, Russian fans activated a web site called Thank You Croatia! – Spasibo Horvatiya! .
Croatia 1 (3) – 1 (2) Denmark at the FIFA World Cup 2018
Croatia has won in a dramatic soccer match with Denmark to the quarter-finals of the World Coup 2018 tournament. Ejnar Dyggve (1887-1961), distinguished Danish historian and archaeologist (on the photo), is important for his scholarly studies of the history of the southern parts of Croatia, in particular of the region of Split. A well known cartoon movie figure Professor Balthazar is very popular in Scandinavia, including Denmar. We also mention Karin Michaelis, who wrote an article in Danish about Croatian politician and martyr Stjepan Radić, who was assassinated in the Belgrade Parliament in 1928.
Ivana Marija Vidovic performed in Amsterdam in June 2018
In June 2018, the Dubrovnik pianist Ivana Marija Vidović performed again in Amsterdam as part of the concert season of the Pianola Museum in the heart of a fairy-tale city with 1500 bridges! The successful concert celebrated the great French composer Claude Debussy on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the death of the composer, while the young Polish violinist Karina Sosnowska also performed with Vidovic, while the poetry by Ivana Marija Vidović translated into English were beautifully read by Marijke Brekelmans.
Luka Krilic: DIJASPORA Kuda idemo? Što možemo učiniti?
Kao pripadnik Dijaspore osjećam dužnost izraziti nekoliko misli o tome da je došlo vrijeme da mi iz Dijaspore pođemo ususret realnosti; moramo se suočiti sa golom istinom i sagledati stvarnost baš onakvom kakva ona jest, jer nalazim da je prijeka potreba i nužnost da pokušamo naći pravilan i dobar smjer koji smo, prema mome iskustvu i saznanjima, odavno izgubili. Ako je Država u krizi moramo priznati da to vrijedi i za nas. Vjerujem da svi jako dobro pamtimo ono što su nas učili o tome da se prvi masovni val iseljavljanja iz Dalmacije dogodio još potkraj XIX stoljeća kao posljedica bolesti vinove loze… Ono što nas nisu učili… jesu Komercijalni ugovori koje je potpisao Beč sa Italijom.
Toni Kukoc's Induction Speech to FIBA Hall of Fame
One of the most influential players in European, international and NBA basketball, Toni Kukoc is being honored with induction to the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2017. The 6ft 10in (2.08m) forward left his mark everywhere he played thanks to his exciting style and a leadership quality that resulted in numerous titles at both the club and national team levels. A native of Split, Croatia, he grew up playing at Jugoplastika where he developed his game into one that would inspire generations of players to come. He was a long and lanky point power forward with exceptional court vision and passing skills. He could also run the floor, finish and shoot well from outside.
Croatia 2 – 1 Iceland at the FIFA World Cup 2018
On the photo Zlatko Dalić, coach of Croatian national soccer team, which won in a match with Iceland 2 – 1. Zlatko was born in the city of Livno in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and now lives in Croatia. Iceland was among the first countries which diplomatically recognized Croatia, on 19th December 1991. An interesting connection between Croatia and Iceland is the fact that Ivica Kostelić is married with Elin Arnarsdottir from Iceland. In Croatia’s capital Zagreb there is a street named after Iceland (Islandska ulica), about 700 m of length.
1139 years since the international recognition of Croatia and 26 years since its diplomatic recognition
In the 9th century, more specifically, in 879 AD, Croatia obtained its first international recognition when Pope John VIII sent his letters to Croatian prince Branimir, in which he blessed him and his Croatian people. Croatia never lost its state continuity, even when it was a part of other empires, kingdoms and states. For example, Croatian Deit (Sabor) is one of the oldest in Europe, and in this sense, Croatia is one of the oldest states in Europe. Its diplomatic recognition was realized in 1992, under dramatic circumstances of Serbian and Montenegrin military aggression on Croatia.
Sanja Falisevac Croatian sculptress and poet enriching us with her deafblind world
Sanja Falisevac began to portray at the age of 14, when she was already completely blind and deaf. She remembers from her childhood beautiful pictures of snow under sunset and Christmas. Her mother used to play with her by writing letters with her finger on her back, which Sanja easily recognized. She now communicates with the outer world in a similar tactile way, by writing on her palm. Her sculptures reveal her as a born artist, and she is now a member a the Union of Professional Croatian Artists. According to her own description, although being blind and deaf, she sees the outer world very clearly in her mental pictures and communicates by using touch. She is a perfect example for all those who think that their life is difficult.