Spectacular Poskok 3 Kayak Cup on the Zrmanja River Draws 35 Crews
The competition for members of special and intervention police units was held in honor of the legendary Poskoci, and was opened by Minister Davor Božinović.
The competition for members of special and intervention police units was held in honor of the legendary Poskoci, and was opened by Minister Davor Božinović.
The Zrmanja River hosted the third Poskok 3 Kayak Cup yesterday, a unique sporting event that brought together 35 crews from special and intervention police units across Croatia, as well as their colleagues from ATLAS network member states. The course ran from the old Maslenica Bridge to the Obrovac Bridge, and the event took place ahead of the Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian Defenders.
The competition is named in honor of the Poskoci Special Police Unit, whose members defended the homeland on the Velebit plateaus during the Homeland War and took part in operations codenamed Poskok 1 and Poskok 2. It is their courage, professionalism, and unity that inspired this event, which symbolically links the values of the Homeland War with today's police vocation.
The competition was opened by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović, who highlighted the historical importance of the special units. "We know what the special police accomplished, not only in Operations Flash and Storm, but they were the first to actually take on the burden of defending Croatia in the days when it was hardest," Minister Božinović said.
He also reflected on the international character of this year's gathering, emphasizing the importance of cross-border cooperation. "It is important that we remember those days, that we remember the role of the Croatian police, but it is also important that today we have representatives from numerous police forces from European Union member states, and also from outside the EU, which shows how connected our police is with its partners today," Božinović said, adding that all challenges have a cross-border nature and that police cooperation is key to protecting democratic orders.
Participants were also greeted by Stipe Vulić, the mayor of Jasenice Municipality, and Hrvoje Galešić, commander of the Intervention Police Unit of the Zadar Police Department. Galešić emphasized the strong link between sport and the police profession. "Gathering at this unique sporting event once again confirms that sport, unity, and the police vocation share the same values - dedication, discipline, mutual trust, and readiness for challenges in the most demanding circumstances," Galešić stated, concluding that these qualities are the foundation of the police vocation and of members of special and intervention police units.
The Poskok 3 Kayak Cup thus once again demonstrated how sport can pay tribute to heroes of the past and build bridges of cooperation for the future, bringing together police forces from different countries at a unique location in the heart of Croatia.
