President Milanović Decorates Croatian National Handball Team for Silver Medal at the World Men’s Handball Championship
“Congratulations on your tremendous success! The times we are living in are such that even things less significant than what you have brought Croatia a few weeks ago make the Croatian people happy and in good spirits. Only if that were the case and only if we could and should reduce this success to that, would already be a big deal, because around us is gloom and doom, both in the region and all around the world. I am confident that we will get through this with our own intelligence, knowledge and scepticism“, the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović stated at a ceremony at which he conferred decorations and recognitions on the players, staff, coaches and members of the technical support team of the Croatian National Handball Team for their silver medal at the 2025 IHF World Men’s Handball Championship.
In his address ahead of conferring the decorations and recognitions, President Milanović noted that the Croatian handball players were sent off with scepticism and not too high expectations, but that they came back “with a shield and not on it“. “That’s a great success, the kind we always lack. Both our female and male athletes achieve great results at Olympic Games but a collective success, especially the success of a national team holds special value.
Congratulating them on their achievement, he said that it was the result of hard and uncertain work where there is no cheating. “There is no jumping the line. In the end, everything ends where it should end as a result of knowledge, effort, commitment, skill, cunning and a sport’s attitude that led you to the world medal – silver, which Croatia hadn’t seen for a long time,” President Milanović said. He told them that they themselves had raised the bar, which represents a rather heavy burden.
“When you raise the bar, you are only measured by it. It is of your own doing and that’s good. These decorations are a token of appreciation and a small act of the Croatian state, of me as president. I wish that you continue charging forward as a complete team and raise the bar a little higher. You can’t escape that“, President Milanović concluded.
For exceptional sports success and for winning the silver medal at the 29th World Men’s Handball Championship in 2025, and for extraordinary contribution to the promotion of sports and the international standing of the Republic of Croatia, the Order of the Croatian Star with the Effigy of Franjo Bučar is bestowed on Dagur Sigurdsson, Domagoj Duvnjak, Luka Cindrić, Filip Glavaš, Marin Jelinić, Igor Karačić, Luka Lovre Klarica, Dominik Kuzmanović, Tin Lučin, Marko Mamić, David Mandić, Mateo Maraš, Ivan Martinović, Lovro Mihić, Ivano Pavlović, Ivan Pešić, Zvonimir Srna, Josip Šimić, Marin Šipić, Mario Šoštarić and Leon Šušnja.
For the exceptional success of the Croatian National Handball Team in winning the silver medal at the 29th World Men’s Handball Championship in 2025 to which they contributed with the professional and coaching experience, and for outstanding contribution to the promotion of sports and the international standing of the Republic of Croatia, the Charter of the Republic of Croatia is bestowed on Valter Matošević and Denis Špoljarić.
For the exceptional sports success of the Croatian National Handball Team in winning the silver medal at the 29th World Men’s Handball Championship in 2025 to which they contributed with the professional experience and support, the Order of the Croatian Interlace is bestowed on Domagoj Gajski, Željko Kercel, Ivica Maraš, Saša Matejčić, Zdravko Mirilović, Josip Režić, Šime Tomašević and Ivica Udovičić.
For outstanding merit in the promotion, encouragement and development of handball in the Republic of Croatia since its independence, and for top sports results achieved at home and abroad, the Charter of the Republic of Croatia is bestowed on the Croatian Handball Federation. The Charter is received by Federation president Tomislav Grahovac, who, on behalf of the players, staff, coaches and members of the technical support team of the Croatian National Handball Team, thanked for the decorations and recognitions.
“On behalf of the Croatian Handball Federation and on my own behalf, I would like to thank you for the decorations. I thank you for all the support that you, as president, give to Croatian handball, to the Federation, and for recognizing the importance and quality of our work and our national team. I ask that you continue to follow the results of our national team and our work as much or even more, and that you support us and attend all our events as often as possible,” the president of the Croatian Handball Federation Tomislav Grahovac said.
Alongside President Milanović were the Commissioner of the President of the Republic for Sports Tomislav Paškvalin, the Adviser to the President of the Republic for Defence Ivica Olujić, the Adviser to the President of the Republic for Homeland War Veterans Marijan Mareković, the Adviser to the President of the Republic for Human Rights and Civil Society Melita Mulić, the Adviser to the President of the Republic for Education Jadranka Žarković, the Deputy Head of the Office of the President of the Republic Goran Grobotek, the Deputy Head of the Cabinet of the President of the Republic Ivana Pušonjić, the Special Adviser to the President of the Republic for the Economy Velibor Mačkić and the Assistant Adviser to the President of the Republic for the Economy Martina Ciglević.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Filip Glas, Marko Beljan