President Milanović Receives Croatian Paralympic Committee Delegation

The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović received a delegation of the Croatian Paralympic Committee, which included president Ratko Kovačić, vice-presidents Ana Sršen and Josip Držaić, secretary-general Ticijan Komparić, and paralympians Anđela Mužinić and Ivan Katanušić.

The representatives of the Croatian Paralympic Committee briefed President Milanović on preparations for the participation of Croatian athletes in the Paralympic Games in Tokyo.  Besides table tennis player Anđela Mužinić and athlete Ivan Katanušić, who attended the meeting, a total of seven other athletes have qualified for the Tokyo Paralympic Games. The sports include: athletics, swimming, boccie and para taekwondo. In addition to these, there are still eight to ten athletes in the qualification process who can achieve qualifying scores to compete at this year’s games, including the sitting volleyball team.

We are doing our utmost to secure optimal conditions for our Croatian paralympians to qualify and compete at the games including organized vaccination against COVID-19, the president of the Croatian Paralympic Committee Ratko Kovačić noted. He added that they care for a total of 55 women and men athletes in order to ensure optimum possibilities for them to develop, progress and achieve the best possible results. The meeting also underlined the importance of sports in the everyday life and work of persons with disabilities. He thereby emphasized the fact that children with development disabilities are not included in physical and health education activities in schools and called on amendments to the legislation that regulates this issue.

Since Croatia’s independence, the Croatian Paralympic Committee has represented paralympic sports in international sports associations of persons with disabilities. Croatian athletes with disabilities have competed in 13 Summer Paralympic Games and 5 Winter Paralympic Games winning a total of 42 medals until 2020.

Alongside President Milanović at the meeting with the delegation of the Croatian Paralympic Committee was the Commissioner of the President of the Republic for Sports Željko Jovanović.

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Dario Andrišek