Spectacle in Zamet Tonight, Matijaž Kek Arrives
More than 2,500 young athletes have secured their spot in the National Finals in Rijeka, with the highlight being tonight's Coca-Cola Cup finals broadcast live on television.
More than 2,500 young athletes have secured their spot in the National Finals in Rijeka, with the highlight being tonight's Coca-Cola Cup finals broadcast live on television.
The National Finals of the jubilee 30th season of the Plazma Youth Sports Games are entering their final stage. This weekend, Rijeka has become the center of children's and youth sports, hosting over 2,500 participants who earned their place through qualifying tournaments across the country. All of them are competing for a spot in the International Finals to be held in Split.
The third shift of competitions brought decisions in several sports. Teams from Osijek dominated the volleyball courts. In the GEN-I Cup, in the girls' category for players born in 2008 or later, Višnjice took the title, while in the boys' category, Retfala came out on top. In the younger girls' category (born in 2011 or later), the Zagreb team Senfovi claimed the championship.
The HEP handball tournament was completely dominated by representatives from the Dubrovnik-Neretva County. In the girls' competition, the players of ŽRK Metković won gold, while in the boys' competition, the handball players of RK Ardiaei from Dubrovnik were the most successful.
In the Kinder Joy table tennis tournament, the best in their categories were Loreta Mandić, Grgur Pustijanac, Lovro Posilović, and Lota Livić.
The tennis finals were held at an impressive venue, the Goran Ivanišević Stadium as part of the ATP tournament in Umag, giving young hopefuls the chance to experience the atmosphere of professional tennis. The winners from the yellow group (born in 2012 or later) secured their place in Split. Among the girls, Lena Fonai from Donji Miholjac triumphed, ahead of runner-up Una Prgomet from Trogir. In the boys' competition, Pavo Zoričić took first place, and Ivan Pavao Jurić second, both from Zagreb.
The highlight of the entire event is expected tonight when the Coca-Cola Cup finals, the largest indoor soccer tournament in Europe, kick off at the Zamet football fields at 7 PM. After as many as 155 qualifying tournaments, the best teams will compete for the title in three categories.
The medal ceremony will be especially festive, led by prominent sports figures. The trophies will be presented to the young footballers by celebrated football coach Matijaž Kek, basketball player Luka Brkljača, footballer Franko Andrijašević, and former footballer and instructor for the Croatian Football Federation Dunja Štokan. For those who cannot make it to Zamet, the finals will be broadcast live on Arena Sport, Sport Klub, and N1 television channels.
In addition to the excitement on the field, the fourth shift program includes the finals of the Tommy tournament in indoor soccer for players under 12, beach volleyball competitions, and the Wiener chess tournament, rounding out another edition of the largest amateur sports event for children and youth in Europe.
