Gala Ceremony at the Croatian National Theatre in Split Marks 30 Years of the Plazma Youth Sports Games

Goran Ivanišević, Ana Ivanović and Magnus Brunner named new Ambassadors of the Games

It was an emotional evening at the Croatian National Theatre (HNK) in Split, where a gala ceremony celebrated 30 years of the Plazma Youth Sports Games being held without interruption and introduced the Games’ new ambassadors.

“The Games are even closer to our hearts because they were born right here, in our city. We always like to point out that Split is a city of sport and the sportiest city in the world. We are all very proud of that. The City of Split will continue to support the Plazma Youth Sports Games and to be a pillar of this project in the future,” said Ivo Bilić, Deputy Mayor of Split, at the start of the ceremony.

Guests were welcomed by Davor Božinović, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Interior and envoy of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Andrej Plenković:

“Thirty years ago, a few kilometres from here, in Split’s Brda neighbourhood, an idea was born. It had no big stage, no millions of participants and no international partners. What it had were children, sport, and one man who believed that something great could grow from them. Today, at the Croatian National Theatre in Split, we are celebrating one of Europe’s greatest sporting stories for children and young people. From Brda to HNK – those four words hold 30 years of one man’s life. They hold thousands of kilometres travelled, countless meetings and years of belief, perseverance when there were no results, and hard work when there were no spotlights. That is why this moment is not only a celebration of 30 years of the Plazma Youth Sports Games. It is also a tribute to the man who conceived, carried and built all of this. Today it is easy to love the Plazma Youth Sports Games. It was much harder to build them before they became what they are today.

“At a time when so much is ‘fake’ – or, as they would say here in Split, falše – this is a genuine, authentic Split story. It was born out of a love for sport and for children, and it grew thanks to hard work, dedication and trust. That is why it has outgrown both Split and Croatia. Today, the Plazma Youth Sports Games connect children from different countries, different language areas and different life circumstances. Among them are children from Ukraine, who are growing up in the reality of war. For a few days here, they will simply be what every child deserves to be – a child. Sport teaches children very early on something we adults often forget: an opponent is not an enemy. You can want to beat someone and respect them at the same time. You can lose without hatred and win without humiliating others.

“This story shows how much can be achieved when there is a clear vision, when people come together around a good idea, and when they persevere long enough.”

Aleksander Čeferin, Predrag Mijatović, Johannes Hahn, Zoran Bogdanović, Davor Božinović, Ivica Kojić, Slaven Bilić, Lana Popović, Jelena Drakulić, Darijo Srna, Mario Stanić, Alastair Campbell, Tomislav Mamić, Vladimir Lučić, Alen Bokšić, Mehmed Baždarević, Dijana Pleština, Josip Komar, Vedran Duvnjak, Zoran Janković, Dragan Stajković, Željko Tufekčić, Lidija Samardžija, Dario Kožul, Ivan Bočina, Nemanja Vidić, Luka Modrić, Nemanja Matić, Vladimir Vranković and Goran Lulić have, over the years, woven a part of themselves into the story of the Plazma Youth Sports Games through their work, support and belief. In recognition, they were presented with special awards by the Youth Sports Games team.

“The Plazma Youth Sports Games have never been the result of one person’s decision or work, and they never will be. Our permanent team consists of around 50 employees, but even I am surprised by how many people it takes to organize the Games over the course of a year – this year, approximately 11,000 people were involved in the organization. When I look back on our beginnings after 30 years, I have to admit there were far more reasons to give up than to carry on. But when I look at all of this today, I am truly glad that my team and I always managed to find the strength to stay and keep going. For six consecutive years, we have been Europe’s largest amateur sporting event by number of participants. We could not have done it without the children, who are our best advertisement. It is impressive that we bring together more and more children every year. What is even more important is that these children – although they come from countries that, as we all know, do not share a long or simple common past – have shown that they are wiser than us adults. People often ask me what message I would send to children. Yesterday I said that I think they should be sending a message to us. They already have, and they have been doing so by example for years: no matter how different we are or which country we come from, we all share the same goal, and we all live on the same planet,” said Zdravko Marić, President of the Plazma Youth Sports Games.

New Ambassadors: Magnus Brunner, Ana Ivanović and Goran Ivanišević

During the ceremony, the Games also announced their new ambassadors: Magnus Brunner, European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration; tennis star Ana Ivanović; and Goran Ivanišević, tennis legend and coach.

Magnus Brunner said: “What you have created is a true celebration of children, sport and friendship. Sport, as we all know, is a school for life. It teaches us many important lessons, and children learn them through sport every day – from resilience and teamwork to how to get back up after a defeat. It is a great honour for me to become part of this family.”

“Sport has taught me many things, such as discipline, perseverance and fair play, as well as how to cope with both victories and defeats. But sport has also given me something more – priceless friendships and memories that last a lifetime. These are exactly the values the Plazma Youth Sports Games pass on to millions of children across the region. I am proud to be part of this story, and I look forward to inspiring new generations together,” said Ana Ivanović as she was announced as an ambassador.

Goran Ivanišević, who has supported the Games from the very beginning, said:

“Finally! Zdravko, thank you for finally promoting me to ambassador. We have been living alongside the Plazma Youth Sports Games for 30 years now. I come from the same Split neighbourhood, Brda, where Zdravko’s story began. You know Split is a bit of a tough city. In Split, nothing is any good and nobody is any good – but at the end of the day, everything is fine and it all works out. Zdravko is one of those who never gave up. He believed in himself and he believed in this project. That is why it is a great honour for me to represent the Plazma Youth Sports Games. I am glad we have been given the chance to become even better, to keep going and to bring in a few more countries.

“I want to send a message to future ambassadors and to everyone who is yet to become one, whether they expect it or not: answer the phone when Zdravko calls! Answer, because he will find you. He’ll call your wife, your mum and your aunt. He’ll come to your house. So, to spare yourself all that trouble, you’ll have to answer. It’s best to pick up straight away and say: ‘All right, Zdravko, we’ll come wherever we’re needed.’ And you will come, because this is a beautiful thing. It is a great source of pride and an honour to be an ambassador of an event like this. To you and your brother Slaven, I wish at least another 50 years of this madness, enthusiasm and energy. Just keep going.”

The gala ceremony was also attended by Zlatan Ibrahimović, Željko Obradović, Toni Kukoč, Goran Dragić, Nikola Karabatić, Ivano Balić, Petar Metličić, Husein Memić, Pavel Nedvěd, Dubravko Šimenc, Vedad Ibišević, Emir Spahić, Sergej Barbarez, Mario Mandžukić, Dino Rađa, Nikola Vujčić, Zoran Dragić, Damjan Rudež, Stipe Pletikosa, Mirko Hrgović, Hasan Salihamidžić, Aljoša Asanović, Aitor Karanka, David James, Boštjan Cesar and many others.