Born on 18th April 1991, the Croatian Badminton Federation has been continuously improving in all areas of badminton and have continued to do so even in this unusual time. 

-Today we have the highest number of active players and clubs; 1,170 of them are playing in 30 clubs from all around Croatia. From the beginning, the CBA has always encouraged a competitive and optimistic spirit and we have been showing this in every competition that we either organise or participate in – our players and coaches have demonstrated on numerous occasions that we can beat all odds and stand tall on the podium with the world’s top nations, said Maja Capuder, the General Secretary of the Croatian Badminton Association.

At the recent 2021 European Championships, the Croatian star, Zvonimir Đurkinjak, participated in the men’s singles. He has represented his country at these continental championships, the European Games, World Championships and has picked up 22 titles throughout his career. Croatia has won gold medals from the Mediterranean Games and European U17 Badminton Championships which is, of course, an indication that it is possible to win big against the best nations in Europe.

This is the message that Croatia wants to keep and promote to all of their existing players who will continue to train, work hard even in difficult times and achieve great results but also to the future generation.

-We want to inspire the youth who will grab their first racket, hit their first shuttle and fall in love immediately; work hard, have fun and stay optimistic.

President of the Croatian Badminton Association, Ratko Galjer, could not be more proud of their achievements during these years. 

-After thirty years of badminton development, we have something to be proud of, given all the difficulties we went through and unfortunately are still present in terms of the development of badminton. Croatia is a small country with a small base of athletes in most of the sports, but its results and successes are certainly at the very top of the world. This thought and fact give us hope for new successes of Croatian badminton players.

During these years, Croatia has regularly organised elite and junior international tournaments. Croatia is keen to host European Championships in their country and have a great desire to develop Para badminton.

-We want, of course, to capture the continuity of creating excellent players and in the coming years to create a larger base of quality players that would put us on the same level with other successful sports in Croatia, Ratko Galjer states. 

Happy birthday Croatia!