News Feature

Thousands gather to celebrate Zagreb's handball hero

30 January 2009

Thousands of sports-mad Croatians gathered in Zagreb's central square to celebrate the performances of their handball hero Ivano Balic, it has been reported.

According to the entertainment portal Javno, pupils from local schools flocked to the capital's King Tomislaz Square in honour of the sporting legend.

One special guest at the event was the mayor of Zagreb Milan Bandic, whose arrival led to "screaming and rejoicing" among the excited crowd.

Sime Strikoman - a local photographer - was on hand to capture the events with his camera.

He told Javno: "I've been thinking about it for a long time, but decided on this photo because the World Handball Championship is underway at the moment."

Two grammar school pupils who took part in the shoot, Lovro and Goran, told the website that it was a "pleasure" to be in the photo, even though they could not afford to attend the tonight's (January 30th) semi-final between Croatian and Poland.

It was announced earlier this week that Her Royal Highness Princess Anne would be visiting Zagreb and Split on an official trip at the start of next month.

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