President Milanović Receives Student Athletes Who Won Medals at European and World University Championships
The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović today received Croatian student athletes who won medals at European and World University Championships in 2026, as well as representatives of the Croatian Academic Sports Federation and the academic community.
At this year’s international competitions, Croatian student athletes won a total of 42 medals: 18 gold, 12 silver and 12 bronze. They won eight medals at World University Championships and 34 at European competitions. Students from the Universities of Zagreb and Split achieved particularly notable results. In 2026, for the first time, two Croatian universities ranked among the five most successful universities in Europe: the University of Zagreb, which leads the overall European university rankings by a wide margin with 25 medals, including 13 gold, and the University of Split, which ranks fifth with seven medals, including three gold.
“Congratulations on your achievements. I have the deepest respect for each and every one of you as athletes. Some of you are already, or will become, top-level athletes; others will become outstanding professionals in a wide range of fields and professions. That will be your individual path, just as your achievements and journeys in sport are individual. But I am sure you will all cherish wonderful memories of these sporting competitions,” said President Milanović.
Speaking on behalf of the medal winners at the 2026 European and World University Championships, Hana Vranić, a student at the University of Zagreb who won first place in futsal and second place in football at the European Universities Games, addressed the gathering. “For us, this medal represents much more than a sporting result. Behind it are countless training sessions, sacrifices, great perseverance and the daily balancing of personal, sporting and academic commitments. It was a great honour to represent our universities at the European and World University Championships, and we are particularly pleased that our efforts and achievements are being recognised in this way,” said medal winner Hana Vranić.
Nikola Vincetić, President of the Croatian Academic Sports Federation, emphasised that “student athletes, representing universities and universities of applied sciences, have represented Croatia in Europe and around the world in the best possible way.” “Education and sport go hand in hand. At the most developed universities in Europe and around the world, sport is not seen as an addition to one’s studies, but as an integral part of them. This is precisely the approach that the Croatian Academic Sports Federation, with your support, has been working to develop in Croatia for many years. It has never been more difficult to be both a successful student and a successful athlete. That is why I would particularly like to express my gratitude to these young people who, while excelling in sport, are also pursuing their academic education and becoming the future leaders of this country,” said Vincetić.
Speaking on behalf of the academic community, Jasenka Ostojić, Vice-Rector of the University of Zagreb, noted that the University had once again been named the most successful and most active university in sport in Europe. “When colleagues in Europe and around the world ask me what the key to our success is, I could sum it up in one word: connectedness. First and foremost, this means working closely with all our fellow universities and with everyone involved in the development of the field of kinesiology. I must also highlight the strength of our institutional partnerships and the excellent cooperation we enjoy with the Zagreb Academic Sports Federation, the Croatian Academic Sports Federation and everyone who provides strong support for university sport in Croatia. What we are most proud of, however, is the human connection: the bond between our team selectors and coaches and our exceptionally talented students, built through their daily work together, even on the field when conditions are less than ideal. This human dimension is undoubtedly the strongest link underpinning these achievements,” said Ostojić.
In addition to the medal winners, student competitors and their coaches, the meeting with President Milanović was attended by Nikola Vincetić, President of the Croatian Academic Sports Federation; Jasenka Ostojić, Vice-Rector of the University of Zagreb; Haris Pavletić, President of the European University Sports Federation; Mile Marinčić, Dean of the Ivanić-Grad University of Applied Sciences; and representatives of the Croatian Academic Sports Federation and the academic sports federations of Zagreb, Split and Rijeka.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Ana Marija Katić, Tomislav Bušljeta