Zlatan Ibrahimović (44) arrived in Split for the closing ceremony of the Youth Sports Games, which is taking place this weekend. At the ceremony at the Croatian National Theatre, he was appointed as the new ambassador of the event, with his arrival causing great excitement among the gathered children. A large number of children greeted Ibrahimović before the HNK building, chanting his name in the hall. Alongside him, tennis players Goran Ivanišević and Ana Ivanović, the first ambassador in 30 years of the Games, were also present. The ceremony also featured national team coach Slaven Bilić, former captain Darijo Srna, Alen Bokšić, and Stipe Modrić, father of Luka Modrić.
Tradition spanning three decades
The Youth Sports Games this year gathered 432,000 children from five countries, competing in ten sports disciplines. Over the past 30 years, nearly 3.9 million children have participated in the Games, including many future Croatian national team players such as Luka Modrić, Marija Mandžukić, and Šime Vrsaljka. In the evening hours on Split's Prokuratives, an All-Star match will be held with children, participants of the Games, and sports stars like Ibrahimović and Ivanišević.
