SPORTS IN CROATIA, European Junior Synchronised Swimming and Diving Championship

History of Diving The oldest data on diving were found on an Etruscan relief found in Targuinia in the 6th century B.C., while the first written documents date from 1538, from the book entitled Colymbetes by V. Wynmann. Diving was at that time mainly practiced from bridges and first competitions mentioned were those which took place in the towns of Constance and Basel. First national competitions in diving were held in Germany in 1986. In Belgrade in 1973 first World Diving Championship was held. Diving was included into the programme of the Olympic Games in 1904 in St. Louis, USA, and has until today remained one of the most attractive Olympic sports. In the beginning diving was practiced at Olympic Games only from the tower but in the course of time it has developed into various disciplines so today there are springboard diving, tower diving and synchronised diving, which as a completely new, attractive discipline was introduced in Olympic Games in Sydney 2000. Diving has long tradition in Croatia and is mentioned at the beginning of the 20th century; at that time diving and trainings mainly took place on rivers. First competition in diving was held in 1913 in Split. First written data are in connection with the building of a swimming pool for diving at Sušak, in Rijeka and in connection with the river Korana in Karlovac. First wooden diving platform on the river Korana was constructed in 1930 by the Slovenian engineer Stanko Bloudek who after Second World War became also the president of the Olympic Committee. A new period for diving in Croatia begins with the building of the concrete tower at Šalata in Zagreb in 1948 and the founding of the club Naprijed, and later also the Swimming-club Medveščak whose members managed to achieve best results at state competitions. In Croatia today there are diving centres in Rijeka, Split, Zagreb and Zadar, and their competitors achieve high international rankings in Europe and in the world. Ana Kera, M.Kin