Zagreb, 20 July 2022 - At the European Youth Summer Olympic Festival (EYOF), which takes place from 24 to 30 July in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, Croatia will participate with 76 athletes aged 14 to 18, and will compete in eight sports (Athletics, Badminton, Cycling, Gymnastics, Judo, Basketball, Swimming and Handball). Croatia's sports delegation will total 108 people.
After receiving nominations from national sports federations whose male and female athletes are to participate at the 2022 EYOF Banska Bystrica, the Croatian Olympic Committee’s Staff Service decided that the at the Opening Ceremony of the EYOF the flagbearers will be athlete Jana Koščak and handball player Petar Šprem.
Following the new rules of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the European Olympic Committees (EOCs), at the Opening Ceremonies of competitions with an Olympic sign, due to gender equality, one female and one male person must be appointed.
Jana Koščak is the gold medalist at the recent European Junior Championships (U18) in Jerusalem. She set a new national record and the fifth all-time result in the world in Heptathlon. In addition to the achieved qualifying result for performance at the mentioned competition, she achieved the qualifying result for performance at the U20 World Championships, which will be held in Cali, Colombia, in early August. Jana Koščak is a multiple Croatian champion for the U18 age and beneficiary of the Croatian Olympic Hopes Program.
Handball player Petar Šprem is a multiple national champion with PPD Zagreb and winner of numerous international tournaments. He also received recognitions for the Best Right Wing and Top Scorer in the aforementioned tournaments (2019, 2021 and 2022).
The decision on the EYOF Closing Ceremony flagbearers will be made by the Croatian Olympic Committee’s Mission at the end of the Games, and only one male or female athlete is nominated for this role. (NOC of Croatia/VK)
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