Međimurje County raises its ‘European Region of Sport 2022’ flag

1 out of every 18 residents is an athlete in the Croatian county

On 31 December, Croatia’s Međimurje County celebrated its new prestigious title “European Region of Sport 2022”. More specifically, Međimurje’s athletes and coaches came together to watch the Croatian gymnast and silver medalist Filip Ude raise the European Region of Sport flag in front of the county building, where it will remain until the end of the year.

Filip Ude raising the flag (Source: Međimurje County)

Međimurje: one of the sportiest counties

According to a press release, Međimurje is the first Croatian county to apply for and win this title. What is more, it reported that the non-profit organisation ACES Europe rated its application with the highest marks. Prefect of Međimurje Matija Posavec commented on the county’s new title, sharing:

“Every city, municipality and village has at least one sports association, and a large number of Međimurje’s residents are involved in sports. Thanks to all of you, sports lovers, Međimurje deserved to win the title of European Region of Sport.

Almost 430 associations and more than 15,000 registered athletes operate across an area of 730 square kilometres. We are the county with the most active athletes in relation to the number of inhabitants, and for every 18^th resident in Međimurje, there is one football player.”

On its website, Međimurje revealed that it is one of the sportiest counties in the country, highlighting that the City of Prelog won the European City of Sports title in 2019 followed by the City of Čakovec in 2020. Commenting on these titles, the Mayor of Čakovec Ljerka Cividini explained that they raise awareness of the importance of movement, recreation, and sports activities.  

Now, the European Region of Sport 2022 title will enable the county to invest in the further development of the region’s sports infrastructure. These investments, according to the country, will consist of new and improved athletics tracks, sports camps, and halls, among others.