Andrea Ivancevic I will do anything to show young athletes why it is good to be part of the sports world

Andrea Ivancevic: I will do anything to show young athletes why it is good to be part of the sports world

Zagreb, 24 April 2016 – The 4^th season of Erste Blue League, a unique athletic competition of eighth graders in which more than 12,000 pupils took part in the first three years, will start with the qualifying competitions in Osijek and Split (27 and 28 April).

“We are organizing this competition because a need and room for something of this sort arose in Croatia. We adapted the disciplines so that eighth graders who are already training in clubs as well as those to whom this is the first contact with athletics can participate in Erste Blue League. All contestants who will apply online will be included in prize competitions, and awards can also be won for the best profile, photo, song, video… With an attempt to connect all the interested people as best as we can, as of this year we also have a club of parents and supporters who can also join online, via our website www.ersteplavaliga.com. I would like to thank all of our sponsors and partners who are supporting us in this project,” said Ivana Brkljacic, president of the AC Pro Sport, which organizes this competition.

“The guiding concept of this competition is to make eighth graders recognize social values promoted through sports: courage, respect, honesty, responsibility…I am glad that these values have also been recognized by our sponsors and everyone else who supports this project,” says Jana Radeljak, head of agency Bagadodo.

“Erste Group has been a co-organizer and partner of the project from the very start. It is my pleasure that Erste Group has been supporting this praiseworthy project for the fourth year already. Apart from the bank, Erste Plavi pension funds have also supported the project from the start, and this year Erste Leasing joined, as well. More than 12,000 eighth graders have participated in this league so far, and through these competitions they are also getting ready for life which is not always easy,” underlined Zdenko Matak, a member of the Management Board at Erste&Steiermärkische Bank d.d.

“Erste Blue League has also been backed by the City of Zagreb from the very start. This is a good example how the business sector and the sports sector can cooperate. Zagreb organizes two qualifying competitions and the league finals, and this project is very important for the popularization of athletics and sports in general. I am glad that athletics has ever more supporters and ever more competitions, and the City of Zagreb will always have an understanding and provide support to such projects,” said Milan Colic of the City Office for Education, Culture and Sports.

The best Croatian athletes, including the Croatian 100 metres and 100 metres hurdles record-holder, Andrea Ivancevic, are Erste Blue League ambassadors. “This year I am the league’s ambassador for the first time, and I am very happy about it and I will do anything to show young athletes why it is good to be part of the sports world. When I was still in school, I did not have an opportunity to take part in similar competitions and I am glad that eighth graders have this opportunity today,” said Andrea, who will take part in the European Championship in Amsterdam and the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Another new ambassador of the league is gymnast Mario Moznik, European horizontal bar champion. “Thank you for making it possible for me to be an ambassador of such a project because any action that boosts young people to start doing sports is worth supporting. I am glad that Erste Blue League has been backed by Erste Bank and the City of Zagreb, and from now on I will also support it and promote its values as an ambassador,” Moznik said and added: “This year I am going to the European Championship in Bern as a holder of the European championship title and I am going there to defend this title! However, my favourite competition, the World Cup in Osijek, will be held prior to that. Since Erste Blue League will also be held there on Wednesday, I will also come to this competition and say hello to young athletes.”

The presentation of this year’s Erste Blue League was attended by last year’s winners in the 60 metres and long jump disciplines Lucija Grd and Luka Trputac, and the audience was greeted by the league’s ambassador Blanka Vlasic via a video message.