Jadran Water Polo Club visits Hamdan Sports Complex

High-level delegation from Croatia discusses future cooperation with Dubai Sports Council

DUBAI: A delegation from Jadran Split Water Polo Club, Croatia paid a special visit to the Hamdan Sports Complex where they met with His Excellency Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of the Dubai Sports Council, to discuss future cooperation between the two bodies in the field of water polo.

The Croatian delegation included His Excellency Jasmin Devlić, Consul General of the Republic of Croatia in Dubai; Josip Pavić, State Secretary at the Croatian Ministry of Tourism and a former Olympic, World and European water polo champion; Toni Vukošić, Consular Advisor; Anđelo Šetka, Director of the Jadran Water Polo Club, a World Champion and Olympic silver medalist; Dejan Savičević, Vice President of Jadran Split; Leopold Aljinović, Head of the club’s veterans; Alen Brakuš, Club Secretary General; Mile Smodlaka, a world champion and Olympic silver medalist, along with players Josip Križanac, Srđan Baštar and Jurica Rončević.

Also present at the meeting were Abdullah Shahdad, Director of the Hamdan Sports Complex and Ahmed Salem Al Muhairi, Director of the Talent Management Department at the Dubai Sports Council.

His Excellency Saeed Hareb praised the Croatian team’s high standards and expressed his delight at the visit, especially given that the Croatian team is among the best in Europe and the world, and its players have so far been responsible for winning 105 Olympic medals for Croatia during previous Olympic Games, and are considered key players in the Croatian national water polo teams.

The Croatian delegation toured the Hamdan Sports Complex, where they received a comprehensive explanation from Abdullah Shahdad, the complex director, about its facilities and various sections, as well as the numerous international championships it has hosted in aquatic and other Olympic sports, in addition to community events, exhibitions and conferences.

The head and members of the delegation expressed their delight with the visit and their appreciation for the impressive capabilities of this world-class complex. They also expressed their pleasure at playing two friendly matches against the Dubai Camels water polo team and witnessing the significant development of aquatic sports in Dubai in general, and water polo, in particular.

At the end of the visit, His Excellency the Secretary-General of the Council presented each member of the Croatian delegation with an English copy of the book “My Life Taught Me” by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The club, in turn, presented the Council with commemorative gifts.

Founded and based in Split, Jadran was originally called ‘Pomorski Klub Baluni’ which was later changed to Jadran Split the same year the club won its first national championship, in 1923. The club is an active and regular participant in the Croatian League and Champions League.