17th European sports-recreational games
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Under High Patronage of President of the Republic of Croatia, the 17th European Festival of Sports Recreation is taking place in Rovinj from 17 to 21 June. The ceremony included 4.5 thousand athletes, while the event was opened by Didiere Besseyre, Pre
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Under High Patronage of President of the Republic of Croatia, the 17th European Festival of Sports Recreation is taking place in Rovinj from 17 to 21 June. The ceremony included 4.5 thousand athletes, while the event was opened by Didiere Besseyre, President of the European Federation for Company Sport, Vladimir Findak, President of the Croatian Union of Sports Recreation “Sport for Everybody,” and Giovanni Sponza, Mayor of Rovinj.
Participants of the sports games, who have arrived from twenty-two European countries, will compete in 21 disciplines – athletics, badminton, Italian bowling, golf, basketball, bowling, mini-golf, football, foot-tennis, sharpshooting, volleyball, outdoor volleyball, orientation walking, darts, swimming, handball, table tennis, squash, chess, tennis and bridge. The most numerous teams of contestants arrived from Germany and France, while Croatia, as the home team, is represented by 242 sports recreationists. Along with other athletes coming from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden, the delegations of the Czech Republic, Finland, Switzerland and Iceland are in Rovinj as well, whose representatives are not competing, but seem likely to be included in the forthcoming 2011 event in Hamburg as active participants.
Looking through the prism of today, when town quay and the central square were overwhelmed by this year’s most attended European sports gathering, one should recall Rovinj fought hard to be the host of the Festival of Sports Recreation, among heavy competition of Hamburg, Prague and Lahti in Finland. This is to be credited to the impression left in 1989, when Rovinj was the host town for the first time, and the candidate application elaborated by, along with sports and tourism employees, Vladimir Findak and Marko Relac, the initiators and promoters of recreation sport in Croatia.
The opening of the 17th European Festival of Sports Recreation itself was an imposing event. Delegations of all participant countries, led by national flag bearers, were greeted at the central podium. The arrival of the native athlete from Rovinj, Davor Žufić, the veteran volleyball player who bore the official Festival flag, received a loud applause. After the opening ceremony, Festival participants and numerous townsfolk had the opportunity to enjoy the cultural and entertainment programme prepared. Each got something out of it: the entertainers included the folk band “Batana,” the cultural and artistic association of “Marco Garbin,“ the “Magnolija“ duo and excellent dance groups of Arabesque and Roxanne. Last but definitely not least came the show of the most famous Croatian folklore ensemble “Lado,“ which thrilled and left breathless the audience gathered by their interpretations of the dances and songs of Croatia. This musical welcome to recreational athletes was finished by the traditionally good and attractive live show of the home band of “Le Monde.“ It should be added the principal culprits for the greatest European sports event taking place in Rovinj are – the Town of Rovinj and its Tourist Board, Maistra, The Association of Sports, the Society for Sports Recreation, and over a thousand volunteers included in the Festival via town institutions and local companies.
