VINKOVCI RECAP
For the second year in a row, and again in the second half of June, the oldest European city, Vinkovci, hosted the PRO 3×3 Tour, a series of spectacular international tournaments in 3×3 basketball. This year’s tournament was played on Wednesday and Thursday, June 21 and 22, and Vinkovci was the fourth stop in the second season of the PRO 3×3 Tour, following three Adriatic destinations – Hvar, Trogir and Umag.
This interesting two-day competition was organized at the same attractive location as last year, at Trg slobode, i.e. the parking lot of Hotel Slavonija in the very center of the city, in cooperation with the PRO 3×3 Association, the City of Vinkovci and the Tourist Board of the City of Vinkovci. Since one of the best PRO 3×3 Tour tournaments was organized in Vinkovci last year – given the quality of the tournament, the response of the spectators and the great atmosphere – the hosts made a great effort to maintain that high reputation. And – they succeeded. Despite the high daytime and evening temperatures on the playground by the Bosut River, everything was bursting with energy, liveliness and a positive atmosphere. A special contribution to this, in addition to the numerous enthusiastic spectators in the full stands, was made by members of two associations from Vinkovac, Vinkovački lađari and Prima Valentiniana, who are responsible for the attractive scenography and costumes. On both evenings, the boatmen of Vinkovac organized attractive torchlights around the playground, and members of the Prima Valentiniana association made a trellis dressed as Roman soldiers during the awarding and recognition of the best teams.
All other segments at the Vinkovac tournament reached an extremely high level of quality. In the leading sports part, the main competition in the Senior Elite category brought together strong 3×3 teams from several European countries that can already boast of winning a number of tough tournaments. In the end, after an extremely tense final match, the Krupanj 3×3 team from Serbia celebrated with a narrow score of 21:20 against the Aluplastik Živinice team (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and won a cash prize of 2,000 euros. The winning team consisted of: Marko Lončović, Milan Milošević, Filip Pejović and Nikola Tašić. The second place team received the amount of 800 euros, and the third place and a prize of 400 euros in the senior competition was won by the team Podgorica Kodio from Montenegro. It was also interesting in the junior U-19 category, in which, with fierce cheering, the hosts, the team Vinkovci, came into their own surpassing their rivals from team Osijek in the final match.
The entertainment and educational segment was also rich in content. During both days of the tournament, many younger and older spectators tried their hand at shooting doubles and free throws between games, and the best ones won valuable prizes from sponsors. On the second day in the afternoon, the traditional and so far most massive Kids Day was organized, during which educational workshops were held on the basics and rules of 3×3 basketball, competitions in shooting two-pointers and free throws, mutual trials on a real 3×3 playground and more. Two exhibition matches were organized in the evening. In the first match, legends from Vinkovac’s basketball courts faced off, among whom the biggest star was surprise guest Mario Kasun, former Croatian national team member and NBA player. He also awarded medals to children as part of Kids Day, as well as awards and recognitions in the Senior Elite category. In the second exhibition match, girls from Vinkovci and Slavonski Brod played against each other. The members of the Vinkovac Cheerleading Club Ma&Ko also earned a big applause with their performance.
Ivan Paić, president of the Organizing Committee of the PRO 3×3 Tour 2023, did not hide his delight at the excellent two-day tournament in Vinkovci. “When we started the PRO 3×3 Tour last year, we wanted to realize the kind of quality and get exactly those components that were successfully unified two years in a row right here in Vinkovci, and of course in some other host cities. These are: great hospitality, typical of Slavonians, excellent cooperation with the city authorities and local partners and sponsors, a strong international composition of teams, exciting matches, a great response of children and young people as the future of 3×3 basketball, full stands and a crazy atmosphere in the audience. I have nothing else to add other than – we can’t wait to come to Vinkovci again next year, which is becoming the city of 3×3 basketball”, emphasized Ivan Paić.
Josip Romić, deputy mayor of Vinkovci, was also extremely satisfied. “We enjoyed two wonderful sports evenings full of positive energy, sportsmanship and a fantastic atmosphere. We are extremely proud that Vinkovci has been a part of this great story from the very beginning and is a permanent stop of a sports event that is slowly pushing the boundaries of popularity and attendance, both domestically and internationally. I believe that the audience in the stands and in front of the small screens enthusiastically followed the moves of the great masters of 3×3 sports, but also the fantastic matches of our juniors, children and Vinkovci legends. I thank the PRO 3X3 Association for another excellent organization and to all the participants of this year’s edition of the PRO 3X3 Tour Vinkovci for their participation and great games. I send big congratulations to the winners and – see you again next year”, concluded Josip Romić.
As a reminder, the second season of the PRO 3×3 Tour will be held until August 12, 2023, at top locations in 10 cities across Croatia. The tour continued with the second part of the Slavonian mini-tour, with the fifth stop of this 3×3 caravan in Osijek, where the tournament was organized on Friday and Saturday, June 23 and 24.
The PRO 3×3 Tour is organized by the PRO 3×3 Association, with the support of the Croatian Tourist Board, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Croatia and the company Energy Basket d.o.o. Sponsors are HEP, Jamnica ProSport, Jana Sport, Bigraf, Hell and Lenovo. Media sponsors and partners are Sportklub, Sportnet.hr and Pixsell Photo & Video Agency.
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Drugu godinu zaredom, ponovno u drugoj polovici lipnja, najstariji europski grad, Vinkovci, ugostio je PRO 3×3 Tour, seriju međunarodnih spektakularnih turnira u 3×3 košarci. Ovogodišnji je turnir odigran u srijedu i četvrtak, 21. i 22. lipnja, a Vinkovci su bili četvrta postaja u drugoj sezoni PRO 3×3 Toura, nakon prethodne tri jadranske destinacije – Hvara, Trogira i Umaga.
Zanimljivo dvodnevno nadmetanje organizirano je na istoj atraktivnoj lokaciji kao i lani, Trgu slobode, odnosno parkingu Hotela Slavonija u samom središtu grada, u suradnji Udruge PRO 3×3, Grada Vinkovaca i Turističke zajednice grada Vinkovaca. Budući da je prošle godine upravo u Vinkovcima organiziran – prema kvaliteti turnira, odazivu gledatelja i sjajnom ugođaju – jedan od najboljih turnira PRO 3×3 Toura, domaćini su uložili veliki trud da održe tu visoku reputaciju. I – uspjeli su u tome. Unatoč visokim dnevnim i večernjim temperaturama na igralištu uz rijeku Bosut sve je prštalo energijom, živošću i pozitivnom atmosferom. Poseban su doprinos tome, osim raspoloženih brojnih gledatelja na punim tribinama, dali članovi dviju vinkovačkih udruga, Vinkovački lađari i Prima Valentiniana, koji su zaslužni za atraktivne scenografije i kostimografije. Vinkovački lađari su u obje večeri priredili atraktivne bakljade oko igrališta, a članovi udruge Prima Valentiniana su tijekom dodjela nagrada i priznanja najboljim ekipama napravili špalir odjeveni u rimske vojnike.
Sve je na vinkovačkom turniru proteklo na iznimno visokoj razini i u ostalim segmentima. U onom vodećem, sportskom dijelu glavno natjecanje u Senior Elite kategoriji, okupilo je snažne 3×3 ekipe iz više europskih zemalja koje se već mogu pohvaliti osvajanjem niza jakih turnira. Na kraju je, nakon iznimno napete finalne utakmice, tijesnim rezultatom 21:20 protiv momčadi Aluplastik Živinice (Bosna i Hercegovina) slavila ekipa Krupanj 3×3 iz Srbije i osvojila novčanu nagradu od 2.000 eura. Pobjednička momčad nastupila je u sastavu: Marko Lončović, Milan Milošević, Filip Pejović i Nikola Tašić. Drugoplasiranoj ekipi pripao je iznos od 800 eura, a treće mjesto i nagradu od 400 eura u seniorskoj konkurenciji osvojila je ekipa Podgorica Kodio iz Crne Gore. Zanimljivo je bilo i u juniorskoj U-19 kategoriji u kojoj su, uz žestoko navijanje, na svoje došli domaćini, ekipa Vinkovci, koja je u završnom dvoboju nadvisila rivale iz momčadi Osijek.
Zabavni i edukativni segment također su bili bogati sadržajima. Mnogi mlađi i stariji gledatelji tijekom oba dana turnira su se između utakmica okušali u šutiranju dvica i slobodnih bacanja, a najbolji su osvojili vrijedne nagrade sponzora. Drugoga dana u poslijepodnevnim satima prvo je organiziran već tradicionalni i do sada najmasovniji Kids Day, u okviru kojega su održane edukativne radionice o osnovama i pravilima 3×3 košarke, natjecanja u šutiranju dvica i slobodnih bacanja, međusobni ogledi na pravom 3×3 igralištu i drugo. U večernjim satima organizirane su i dvije revijalne utakmice. U prvoj su snage odmjerile legende s vinkovačkih košarkaških terena, među kojima je najveća zvijezda bio gost iznenađenja Mario Kasun, nekadašnji hrvatski reprezentativac i NBA igrač. On je dodijelio i medalje mališanima u sklopu Kids Daya te dio nagrada i priznanja u Senior Elite kategoriji. U drugoj revijalnoj utakmici međusobno su zaigrale djevojke iz Vinkovaca i Slavonskog Broda. Veliki pljesak svojim su nastupom zaslužile i članice vinkovačkog Cheerleading kluba Ma&Ko.
Oduševljenje izvrsnim dvodnevnim vinkovačkim turnirom nije krio Ivan Paić, predsjednik Organizacijskog odbora PRO 3×3 Tour 2023. “Kada smo prošle godine pokretali PRO 3×3 Tour, željeli smo kvalitetno realizirati i dobiti upravo one komponente koje su se dvije godina zaredom uspješno objedinile upravo u Vinkovcima, naravno i u nekim drugim gradovima domaćinima. To su: sjajno gostoprimstvo i gostoljubivost, tipični za Slavonce, odlična suradnja s gradskim vlastima i lokalnim partnerima i sponzorima, snažan međunarodni sastav ekipa, napete utakmice, velik odaziv djece i mladih kao budućnosti 3×3 košarke, pune tribine i luda atmosfera u publici. Nemam što drugo dodati nego – jedva čekamo iduće godine ponovno doći u Vinkovce koji postaju grad 3×3 košarke”, naglasio je Ivan Paić.
Iznimno je zadovoljan bio i Josip Romić, zamjenik gradonačelnika Grada Vinkovaca. “Uživali smo u dvije prekrasne sportske večeri pune pozitivne energije, sportskog duha i fantastične atmosfere. Izuzetno smo ponosni što su Vinkovci od samog početka dio ove velike priče i stalna postaja sportskog događaja koji polako pomiče granice popularnosti i posjećenosti, kako na domaćoj tako i na svjetskoj razini. Vjerujem kako je publika na tribinama i pred malim ekranima s oduševljenjem pratila poteze velikih majstora 3×3 sporta, ali i fantastične utakmice naših juniora, djece i vinkovačkih legendi. Hvala Udruzi PRO 3X3 na još jednoj vrhunskoj organizaciji i svim sudionicima ovogodišnjeg izdanja PRO 3X3 Toura Vinkovci na sudjelovanju i odličnim igrama. Upućujem velike čestitke pobjednicima i – vidimo se ponovno dogodine”, zaključio je Josip Romić.
Podsjetimo, druga sezona PRO 3×3 Toura do 12. kolovoza 2023. održava se na top lokacijama 10 gradova diljem Hrvatske. Tour je nastavljen drugim dijelom slavonske mini-turneje, a peta postaja ove 3×3 karavane bio je Osijek, u kojemu je turnir organiziran u petak i subotu, 23. i 24. lipnja.
PRO 3×3 Tour organizira Udruga PRO 3×3, uz potporu Hrvatske turističke zajednice, Ministarstva turizma i sporta Republike Hrvatske te tvrtke Energy Basket d.o.o. Sponzori su HEP, Jamnica ProSport, Jana Sport, Bigraf, Hell i Lenovo. Medijski pokrovitelji i partneri su Sportklub, Sportnet.hr i Pixsell Photo & Video Agency.
WINNERS
KRUPANJ 3X3
