President Milanović Receives National Male Deaf Handball Team, European Gold Medal Winners
The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović received the National Male Deaf Handball Team and a delegation of the “Hrvatski sportski savez gluhih” (Croatian Sports Association for the Deaf) on the occasion of their gold medal at the 12th European Deaf Handball Championship, which was held from 18 to 27 June this year in Zagreb.
Congratulating the National Male Deaf Handball Team on their medal, President Milanović said that it is not an easy task to achieve such success several times in a row, reminding that the National Team also won a gold medal in Berlin in 2016. “This isn’t a small task. I am fascinated by your will, your efforts and the time you put into sports in which there is nothing but love. I wish you success, and that you discover yourselves as individuals and as representatives of the Republic of Croatia in these successes”, President Milanović told them.
Speaking on behalf of the National Handball Team and the “Hrvatski sportski savez gluhih”, Mario Lušić thanked President Milanović for receiving them, and noted that the handball players have won the European Deaf Handball Championship three successive times, and that the players do not regret the free time put into it, their vacation, neglecting their private lives and investing a lot of effort for which they weren’t paid or received any financial remuneration.
Vice President Kristijan Živković thanked President Milanović on behalf of the “Hrvatski sportski savez gluhih” and all the players for having come to the opening of the European championship. “This was a major sports competition for the deaf in the Republic of Croatia in which we put in extra efforts to organize. By winning the gold medal, our National Team is one of the teams having won the most prizes in the Republic of Croatia”, he said.
“These guys are fantastic, they represent their country at all championships and we are proud to be Croatia”, head coach of the National Team Marijo Sirotić said.
At the reception in the Office of the President were handball players Ivan Pajić, Pero Jukić, Dominik Žmirić, Ilija Perak, Mateo Perak, Jakov Kolarić, Teo Glumac, Bojan Crnojević, Vedran Jakovljević, Tomislav Bošnjak, Dean Šagovac, Florijan Kolarić and Leonardo Vučak as well as coaching staff representatives assistant coach Dragan Todorović, massage therapist Marinko Smolčić, trip leader Marijo Lušić, Croatian sign language translator Pavla Maksan and secretary general of the “Hrvatski sportski savez gluhih” Katarina Korlat.
Alongside President Milanović at the meeting was the Commissioner of the President of the Republic for Sports Željko Jovanović.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Filip Glas