Split Once Again Becomes the Center of Sport, Friendship, and Fair Play
rom August 23 to 27, Split is hosting the International Finals of the Plazma Youth Sports Games. Throughout 2025, a total of 353,848 children and young people took part in the Games – 123,985 in Croatia, 71,234 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 100,060 in Serbia, and 58,560 in Slovenia.
A total of 820 of the best competitors earned their place at the International Finals by winning at their National Finals, and they arrived in Split thanks to HŽ Passenger Transport. Over five days, they will compete in ten sporting disciplines, meet peers from across the region, make new friendships, and enjoy the beauty of Split.
The Plazma Youth Sports Games, the largest amateur sports event in Europe, once again reaffirm their mission – to give children the opportunity to live sport, develop healthy habits, and learn the values of teamwork and fair play.
Competitions opened with the Tommy futsal tournament, where tension was visible in every minute of play. The ND Primorije team (Slovenia) took home the gold, while Novigrad 1947 (Croatia) won silver. The Kinder Joy of Moving street basketball tournament proved extremely attractive both to play and to watch. With loud support and cheering, teams from Croatia climbed to the top – in the girls’ competition it was Visoke, ali Barbara, while SIBIDI triumphed in the boys’ category, and Cunkovili secured third place.
Excitement also marked the table tennis tournament at the Split Student Center, where Croatian competitors achieved excellent results – Lovro Posilović won gold, while Saša Lendrec and Ines Burku claimed bronze medals. As part of the Telemach Sports Day, competitions were held in dodgeball and athletics. Dodgeball is especially popular because mixed-gender teams of boys and girls promote inclusion, equality, and tolerance. The winners in the 2016 category were Zrinjevac from Croatia, while in the 2014 and younger category, Limači from Bosnia and Herzegovina took the crown. The fastest runner in the 60-meter race at the International Finals was Adonis Jordan Catela Clarida (Croatia), while the fastest girl was Tara Kostovski.
At the HEP handball tournament, Croatian teams achieved great results – Team Sjever won bronze in the girls’ category, and Viro Virovitica did the same in the boys’ competition. The volleyball tournament also brought thrilling matches, with Trnje (Croatia) winning in the boys’ category and Busije (Serbia) in the girls’ category, while Bile vile from Split claimed bronze.
The Coca-Cola Cup, the largest futsal tournament in Europe, gathered 143,992 boys and girls across four participating countries, who played in 369 tournaments. For the fifth consecutive year, in cooperation with the UEFA Foundation for Children, led by Aleksander Čeferin, UEFA President and Games Ambassador, the Games placed special focus on increasing girls’ participation. This year, 14,015 girls competed in the Coca-Cola Cup. The best teams received their medals from Aljoša Asanović, Barbara Matić, Mirko Hrgović, and Zdravko Marić. The gold in the boys’ category went to Vatreni (Croatia), while the winners in the girls’ category were ŽFK Mačva (Serbia).
The Paket24 Cup tennis tournament of the International Finals was held at the Dalmacijacement courts in Solin. The winners were Benjamin Demirović (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Anja Bajšanski (Serbia), while Croatian players Hanna Varaga and Vilmos Szucs claimed bronze.
The Plazma Youth Sports Games are the largest amateur sports event in Europe, and over 29 years of existence, by promoting sport and a healthy lifestyle, they have enriched the lives of more than 3,440,000 children and young people.
