The 2010 Zagreb IAAF World Challenge, with the traditional 110m Hurdles Boris Hanzekovic Memorial Race,
[:]which will mark its 60th anniversary this year, will take place in less than a month. In the days, in which we are proud of Croatian athletics, we are looking forward to 1 September, when we will see the best Croatian athletes in action at the Mladost Sports Park. President of the Croatian Athletics Federation Luciano Susanj addressed the public on behalf of the old/new organizer:
“The 60th Zagreb Meeting means a lot to Croatian athletics, because one cannot expect to play a role at the European and world level without a strong international meeting. Besides participating and achieving good results in other meetings, one must do something to promote athletics oneself. I would like to thank the City of Zagreb for strongly supporting the organization. I would especially like to thank the Mayor, Mr. Milan Bandic, for his active participation and great efforts to keep the Meeting functioning every year. Although we are in crisis years, I believe in a successful Meeting with 17 events. I expect a great interest of the public, because all our best athletes will participate. Let us just hope that the weather will be nice, too.
Meeting Director Ivana Brkljacic also addressed the public:
„I would like to thank the Croatian Athletics Federation and the City of Zagreb for doing their best to help us stage one of the most important sporting events, the 60th Zagreb Meeting with the 110m Hurdles Boris Hanzekovic Memorial Race. Although the Meeting budget has decreased substantially, from last year’s 5.2 to 4.2 million kunas, I can say that we are about to see one of the best Meetings ever, because the City of Zagreb has never had its European Champion at its Meeting before. The Meeting is based on Croatian athletes, and Croatian athletics is the strongest so far. We are in the middle of intense negotiations with international athletes and the 110m Hurdles Memorial Race will be one of the strongest events. I would like to emphasize that the ticket sale will start on 12 August. You can find all additional information on our new website www.zagreb-meeting.com.
Milan Bandic, Mayor of Zagreb, said that he was proud of and happy for Croatian athletics and that he was looking forward to the Meeting on 1 September.
„It is nice to be here when Sandra is with us, when Croatian athletics is at its best. The Zagreb Meeting is one of the priorities of the city budget. We had a good hunch not to question the Meeting. I am glad that we will be together there because the citizens of Zagreb know how to recognize true quality. I am proud and happy together with you.
The new European Discus Throw Champion Sandra Perkovic is looking forward to her first Zagreb Meeting:
„It will be my honour to throw at our Meeting as the current European Champion. It is always the hardest to throw in front of your home audience. Ivana knows that the best. I heard that Barrios of Cuba is coming; it will be a strong competition.
Sandra’s coach Ivan Ivancic announced big things:
„ We still have a lot to do, but we will try to set the season’s best at the great Zagreb Meeting. I will only add that it is very easy to ruin what you have. One needs to stick to work, keep up what we have had so far, and take a step forward if possible.
Nedzad Mulabegovic has been Europe’s sixth best shot putter since last week. He will have the world’s top level competition in Zagreb:
„I hope that the Zagreb Meeting will be at least as good as last year, and the shot put was fantastic then. Cantwell told me he was coming, he may even come to Zagreb a week earlier. He told me that it was great in Zagreb last year. Majewski also told me he was coming, which means that we will have both an Olympic and a World Champion at the same competition. With them, and a few more good shot putters, the shot put will be one of the best events, and you cannot perform poorly with such an audience.
Meeting Director Ivana Brkljacic shared a few more pieces of information about expected foreign athletes.
„The season is picking up and we will negotiate with the world’s best hurdlers next week. We expect to get at least one of the three world’s best hurdlers to participate in the Zagreb Meeting. We always invite the best high jumpers, but you know that Friedrich and Hellebaut rarely agree to compete against Blanka, except at major competitions. Both of them have an open invitation to Zagreb and we would like them to come.
