Silence on the Seven-Metre Line:
Croatian National Deaf Handball Team

DEVELOPMENT OF SPORTS IN CROATIA

Although, under the Croatian-Hungarian Settlement of 1868, Croatia had autonomy in education, culture, and sports, it lacked a central sports federation through which athletes could participate in international competitions and via which sports clubs in Croatia could be connected. For this reason, the Croatian Sports Federation was founded on 5 October 1909. The president of the interim committee was Ljudevit Andrassy, while Franjo Bučar was later elected president of the new committee.At the beginning of 1919, sections of the Croatian Sports Federation gave rise to specialised sports federations of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, and the staff of that federation founded the Yugoslav Olympic Committee on 14 December 1919.Between the two world wars, many sports began to develop in Croatia, including handball.

HAZENA

At the end of the 19th century, the sport of hazena appeared in what is now Czechia. It resembled modern handball. The word hazéna comes from the Czech verb házati, meaning to throw, and it was primarily a women’s ball sport with the aim of throwing the ball by hand into the opponent’s goal. The founder of the game is considered to be Antonin (Anton) Krištov, a physical education teacher at the Malá Strana Realschule, who developed the rules of hazena based on the rules of the goal game (cílováhra) described in Josef Klenka’s 1892 book “Telovičnahry.” In 1907, Antonin Krištov established the first hazena team at the Academy in Strakovo, and already in 1909, he initiated the formation of the Federal Committee of Hazena Teams. The Czech Olympic Committee recognised hazena as a sport in 1911, and at the 6th All-Sokol Rally (Slet)in Prague in 1912, a demonstration match of hazena was played, introducing the sport to the rest of the world. Hazena was introduced to Croatia in 1920 thanks to students from Osijek and Vukovar who had encountered the sport during their studies in Czechoslovakia. In preparation for the First Rally of Jewish Youth of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (Kingdom of the SCS) in Osijek, the idea arose to present hazena to the wider public, and the first hazena match was played on 10 August. Over time, hazena gradually spread from Slavonia and Syrmia to other towns in Croatia.

Medal for 2nd Place at the 3rd Women’s World Games

Prague, 1930.

Medal, diameter 7x6.7 cm

Croatian Sports Museum HŠPOM-ME001559

In 1923, the Yugoslav Athletics Federation (JLAS) in Zagreb incorporated hazena into its sections. The first clubs were HAŠK Zagreb, HŠK Concordia Zagreb, Hazena Club of the 2nd Real Grammar School Vesna Zagreb, Bjelovar Citizens’ Sports Club Bjelovar, Sports Club Olimpija Karlovac, Čakovec Sports Club Čakovec, SK TaninpilaSušine – Gjurgjenovac, Jewish Sports Club Herut Vinkovci, Secondary School Sports Club Viktorija Križevci and HŠK Penkala Zagreb. Already in 1924, the Yugoslav Hazena Federation (JHS) was founded in Zagreb. It underwent several name changes, with the last change occurring in 1933, when the Extraordinary Assembly re-integrated athletics into the federation and renamed it the Yugoslav Federation of Women’s Sports, which remained its official name until 1938. Players from hazena clubs, as members of the Yugoslav national team, achieved their greatest successes by winning second place at the 3rd Women’s World Games in Prague in 1930 and first place at the 4th Women’s World Games in London in 1934.

THE BEGINNING OF HANDBALL DEVELOPMENT IN CROATIA

The first documented instances of handball being played in Croatia occurred in Varaždin. Pupils at the State Real Grammar School in Varaždin began playing (field) handball under the guidance of teacher Zvonimir Suligoj. According to the Report for the 1929/30 school year, a public gymnastics presentation was held on 29 May 1930 at the playground of the Varaždin Sports Club, featuring display exercises, apparatus routines, and games. The final item in the programme included the first public demonstration of a handball match between a combined team of 5th and 6thgrade pupils and a team from the 8thgrade. In Zagreb, handball first began in the 1932/33 school year at the then State First Boys’ Real Grammar School. Until the construction of the Secondary School Sports Ground in Klaićeva Street, handball in Zagreb was played in rather inadequate spaces. After the opening of the newly developed grounds in 1935, numerous friendly and championship handball matches between pupils of Zagreb’s secondary schools began to be organised.

Programme for the Grand Opening Ceremony of the Secondary School Sports Ground in

Zagreb, 1935.

Document, 21x16.5 cm

Croatian Sports Museum HŠPOM-10452

Grand Opening Ceremony of the Secondary School Sports Ground in Zagreb

Zagreb, 1935.

Photograph, 7.5x10.5 cm

Croatian Sports Museum HŠPOM-FT007277

With the formation of the Banovina of Croatia, the Croatian Sports Union was established on 14 May 1939 to represent the interests of Croatian sport. That same year, pupils from Zagreb’s secondary schools began founding the first handball sections within existing sports clubs such as the First Croatian Citizens’ Sports Club, HŠK Ličanin (later HŠK Martinovka), HŠK Concordia, HŠK Meteor, HŠK GEC Šparta (City Electric Utility), ŠK Željezničar (later HŠK Trnje). During the organisation of the first Zagreb handball championship in 1940, a handball section was also established within SK Marathon. After the Second World War, sports associations were founded in Zagreb that also launched handball sections, including Physical Culture Society of Municipal Workers Dinamo, Zagreb Youth Physical Culture Society Mladost, Physical Culture Society Metalac, Physical Culture Society Slavija, Physical Culture Society Lokomotiva, and many others. In 1945, the Handball Committee was established within the Physical Culture Association of Croatia (FISAH). Towards the end of 1947, the Central Committee of the Physical Culture Association of Yugoslavia agreed to allow women’s teams to participate in handball competitions. As early as the following year, the first women’s handball teams were formed in Zagreb, Split, Osijek, and Šibenik within the handball sections of the physical culture societies at the time. The Croatian Handball Federation began operating in October 1941, and its work was renewed on 19 December 1948 in Zagreb. The Croatian Handball Federation became a member of the International Handball Federation (IHF) and the European Handball Federation (EHF) in 1992.

DEVELOPMENT OF SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION FOR THE DEAF

At the end of the 18th century, the priest Charles Michel de l’Épée opened the first school for the deaf in Paris, where sign language was used, while in Leipzig, Samuel Heinicke founded the first government-recognised school for the deaf. In Croatia, the beginnings of education for the deaf are attributed to Adalbert Lampe, who on 11 September 1885 conducted the first public examination with his student Ivan Smola at the Teacher Training School in Zagreb, located at Opatička Street No. 22. That same year, he was granted permission to establish the “Private Institute for the Education of Deaf-Mute Children.” In 1887, a board of trustees (trusteeship) was established to provide financial support to the Institute, and it leased the villa “God” on Mirogojska Road, to which Lampe moved the Institute. By 1888, the “Society for the Establishment and Maintenance of the National Institute for the Education of Deaf-Mute Children” had been formed and took over the administration of Lampe’s private institute. At the end of the 1890/91 school year, Lampe’s institute was dissolved, and in 1891 the “National Institute for the Education of Deaf-Mute Children” was founded. It was initially housed in the villa “Socias” on Vinogradska Road, but was later relocated to Ilica 83, where today the “Slava Raškaj Centre for Education and Training is located.” According to a decision by the Department for Religion and Education of the Land Government of Croatia, Slavonia, and Dalmatia, dated 24 October 1891, pupils of the National Institute for the Education of Deaf-Mute Children had physical education classes as part of their curriculum, which sparked interest in sport.

Schools for deaf children were soon opened in other cities and towns as well. In Split, during a joint meeting of the Council of Producers and the City Council held on 20 January 1953, and with the consent of the Council for Public Health and Social Policy, a decision was made to establish the “Institute for the Education of Deaf Children in Split.” Over the years, the Institute underwent several name changes and has been known since 1980 as the “Slava Raškaj Centre for Education and Training” in Split.

In Rijeka, the Vocational School for Deaf Youth was founded in 1954, and in 1991 a Department for the Rehabilitation of Preschool Children with Hearing Impairment was established. In 1993, a Department for Children with Voice and Speech Disorders was opened. Since 2003, the school has been named the “Slava RaškajDay Rehabilitation Centre,” Rijeka.

In Varaždin, the “Special School for Mentally Challenged and Deaf-Mute Children” was founded in 1954. In 1973, its name was changed to “Special Primary School with a Vocational Training School for Hearing-Impaired Youth ‘Tomislav Špoljar’,” and since 1978 it has been known as the “Tomislav Špoljar Centre for Education and Training.”

Sports activities were also included in school programmes, and growing interest in sport led to the formation of sports societies. The first sports societies and clubs for the deaf were founded in Zagreb, followed by others in cities throughout Croatia. Within these societies, handball sections were also developed.

FOUNDING OF SPORTS CLUBS AND HANDBALL SECTIONS FOR THE DEAF

Sports Clubfor the Deaf “Silent” Zagreb

The Sports Club for the Deaf “Silent” from Zagreb was established in 1949 on the occasion of the 1st Yugoslav Deaf Sports Games held in Zagreb, and throughout its activities, it maintained close ties with the Slava RaškajCentre for Education and Training from Zagreb, which produced numerous athletes. The founder of the handball club for the deaf in Zagreb was Slavko Mačečević, and the club played its first match in 1958 against the handball club “Radnik” from Velika Gorica. One of the best players of the “Silent” handball club was Ivica Rumenović, who won six medals at the Deaflympics (Belgrade 1969, Malmö 1973, Bucharest 1977, Cologne 1981, Los Angeles 1985, and Sofia 1993). Other members who won medals at the Deaflympics between 1993 and 2022 are: Goran Cechi, Milan Gvozdić, Damir Lončarić, Angel Naumovski, Dean Šagovac, Antun Šagovac, Davor Stanišić, Davor Barešić, Nedjeljko Feljan, Boris Gramnjak, Davor Mažuran, Darko Švec, Edin Havić, Sabahudin Jusić, Boris Jelica, Ivan Sedmak, Antonio Rozić, Daniel Fodor, Marko Prošenski, Goran Skoko, Kristijan Živković, Leonardo Vučak, Dominik Žmirić, Vedran Jakovljević, Mario Barišić, and Florijan Kolarić. The women’s handball club for the deaf in Zagreb was founded in 1962, and its operations were revived in 1967 under the guidance of coach Ivan Fičko. The Yugoslav women’s national handball team for the deaf won first place at the 11th Deaflympics held in Belgrade in 1969, with standout players from Zagreb including Bernarda Vujanić and Ivanka Pongrac. In 1972, due to a lack of financial resources and an insufficient number of players, the club ceased operations.

Sports Club for the Deaf “Slavonac” Osijek

In 1947, an Initiative Committee was formed to establish the Basic Organisation of the Association of the Deaf in Osijek, with special attention given to education. Thus, in 1951, a class for deaf students was introduced at the regular school for vocational pupils. Interest in sport gradually increased, and in 1955 the Sports Club for the Deaf “Slavonac” was founded. By 1960, a handball section was also established. Over the years, the club changed its name to the Sports Association of the Deaf “Slavonac,” and today it operates as the Osijek Sports Federation of the Deaf. At that time, three handball clubs were prominent in Osijek – Elektra, Metalac, and Grafičar – and players from the “Slavonac” Club for the Deaf also played in them. Between 1967 and 1968, the “Slavonac” handball club registered for the first time in the Osijek Municipal League, where it started competing. Both the men’s and women’s handball sections of “Slavonac” won several awards, including, most notably, second place in women’s handball at the Workers’ Sports Games in Osijek in 1968 and third place in men’s handball at the same event in 1971. Among the prominent handball players was Milivoj Uzurov, who won first place with the Yugoslav national team at the 14th Deaflympics in Cologne (West Germany) in 1981.

Sports Club for the Deaf Varaždin

The Sports Club “Polet” was founded in 1954.After a few years, its name was changed to the Sports Clubfor the Deaf Varaždin, and from 1993 to 2006 it was known as the Sports Club for the Deaf 1954. In 2006, it was renamed the Varaždin Sports Federation of the Deaf, and since 2024 it has been called the Varaždin Deaf Sports Federation. The president of the Sports Club “Polet” was Stanko Čavlek, while from the very beginning Pavle Ferinac and Franjo Puček led numerous sporting activities for the deaf in Varaždin. The handball players of the Sports Club for the Deaf achieved excellent results in many competitions, starting in 1967 when they won third place at the Croatian Handball Championship for the Deaf. Notable among them were Ivan Pajićand Jakov Kolarić,who also achieved significant results at the Deaflympics (Rome 2001, Melbourne 2005, Chinese Taipei 2009, Samsun 2017, and Caxias do Sul 2022). In the 1960s, women also began playing handball at the Varaždin Sports Club for the Deaf. Among them were accomplished table tennis players such as Marija Komorski, Vera Brlečić, and Dragica Danjko.

Sports Club for the Deaf “Galeb” Rijeka

GodineThe Sports Club for the Deaf Rijeka was founded in 1955, and at the end of 1959, the “Galeb” handball club Rijeka was established at the initiative of special education teacher ĐuroBjedov in cooperation with the Rijeka District Committee for the Deaf. Players from the “Galeb” handball club achieved many notable results, most prominently Ivan Straga, Marijan Galant, Branko Rabar, Kostadin Korlat, Milan Rapaić, Branko Križić, Ilija Golubić, and Franjo Novosel at the Deaflympics (Belgrade 1969, Malmö 1973, Bucharest 1977, Cologne 1981, and Los Angeles 1985). In 1965/1966, a women’s handball section was also founded. It competed in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar League, but its greatest success was as part of the national team, which won first place at the 11th Deaflympics in Belgrade. Among the players were Palmira Žunjić, Grozdana Čadi, and Stoja Knežević. “Galeb” Handball Club remained active until 1987.

Sports Club for the Deaf “Marjan” Split

The Sports Club for the Deaf “Marjan” DES from Split was founded in 1956.Its first president was Jerko Podrug, and two years later a handball section was established. The men’s handball team won the Croatian Deaf Championships from 1979 to 1984. Their most important appearances were at the Deaflympics, where the following players competed as part of the national team: Petar Ljubić (Cologne 1981), Marko Delić (Cologne 1981, Los Angeles 1985), Boško Kevo (Cologne 1981, Los Angeles 1985), Dragan Firić (Sofia 1993), Roko Kvesić (Sofia 1993, Copenhagen 1997), Marijo Lušić (Los Angeles 1985, Sofia 1993, Copenhagen 1997, Rome 2001, Melbourne 2005), and Mario Bašić (Rome 2001, Melbourne 2005, Chinese Taipei 2009, Sofia 2013). Among the active players, the most prominent are Oliver Lušić (Melbourne 2005, Chinese Taipei 2009, Sofia 2013, Samsun 2017, Caxias do Sul 2022), Pero Jukić (Melbourne 2005, Chinese Taipei 2009, Sofia 2013, Samsun 2017, Caxias do Sul 2022), Marjan Turković (Sofia 2013, Samsun 2017, Caxias do Sul 2022), Ilija Perak (Sofia 2013, Samsun 2017, Caxias do Sul 2022), Mateo Perak (Samsun 2017, Caxias do Sul 2022), and Patrik Radić (Caxias do Sul 2022). The women’s handball team enjoyed numerous successes between 1964 and 1970, winning the Yugoslav Championship six times and the Croatian Championship twice. Among the most successful players were Blaženka Sinovčić, Marija Milas, and Milka Duić, who all participated in the 11th Deaflympics in Belgrade in 1969.

COACHES AND HEAD COACHES OF THE NATIONAL DEAF HANDBALL TEAM

The Croatian men’s national deaf handball team has received numerous awards and acknowledgements. Between 1994 and 2005, it received awards from the Croatian Sports Federation of the Disabled (renamed the Croatian Paralympic Committee in 2006). It also received the Croatian Olympic Committee Award three times and the national “Franjo Bučar” Award as the most successful team in Croatia. Over the years, the deaf handball team was led by various coaches and head coaches, notably Ivan Čović (men’s coach) and Jovan Pavičević (women’s coach) during the 11th Deaflympics in Belgrade in 1969. Furthermore,Marijan Knežić took over the men’s team of the Sports Club “Silent” Zagreb in 1960, becoming the youngest coach in the club’s history at just 17. He served as head coach of the national deaf team from 1972 to 1997, during which the team secured six medals at the Deaflympics (Malmö 1973, Bucharest 1977, Cologne 1981, Los Angeles 1985, Sofia 1993, Reykjavik 1995). Vojislav Bjegovićserved as part of the national team’s coaching staff from 1995 and as head coach from 1997 to 2017. During this period, the team won 13 medals (Reykjavik 1995, Copenhagen 1997, Bucharest 2000, Rome 2001, Melbourne 2005, Istanbul 2005, Belgrade 2008, Chinese Taipei 2009, LignanoSabbiadoro 2012, Sofia 2013, Samsun 2014, Berlin 2016, Samsun 2017).From 2018, Mario Sirotić has taken over as coach and head coach, leading the team to five medals (Caxias do Sul 2018, Zagreb 2021, Caxias do Sul 2022, Copenhagen 2023, Frankenthal 2024).

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR THE DEAF

The European Deaf Sport Organisation (EDSO) was founded on 7 July 1983 in Antibes, France, and has been a member of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf since 1993. In that same year, Croatia also became a member of the European Deaf Sport Organisation. The Croatian men’s national deaf handball team first participated in the 6th European Championship in Reykjavik (Iceland) in 1995, where they won third place. They went on to win first place at the 7th European Championship in Bucharest in 2000 and the 8th European Championship in Istanbul in 2005. They won second place at the 9th European Championship in Belgrade in 2008 and again claimed first place at the 10th European Championship in LignanoSabbiadoro in 2012. They continued their winning streak at the 11th European Championship in Berlin in 2016, the 12th European Championship in Zagreb in 2021, and at the 13th European Championship in Frankenthal in 2024.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPSFOR THE DEAF

The first World Deaf Handball Championship was held in Samsun, Türkiye, in 2014, and the Croatian National Deaf Handball Teamwon first place. In 2018, at the 2nd World Deaf Handball Championship in Caxias do Sul, Brazil, they successfully defended their title as world champions. At the 3rd World Deaf Handball Championship in Copenhagen in 2023, they once again won the gold medal.

DEAFLYMPICS

The Deaflympics were initially known as the International Silent Games. The first such games were held in Paris in 1924, organised by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD). In 1967, the International Silent Games were renamed to the World Games for the Deaf, and in 2001 to the Deaflympics. The International Committee of Sports for the Deaf oversees both the Summer and Winter Deaflympics, modelled on the Olympic Games, and they are held every four years for athletes with a hearing loss of at least 55 dB in the better ear. At the 11th World Games for the Deaf in Belgrade in 1969, handball was introduced for the first time as a new sport. Both the men’s and women’s national deaf handball teams won first place. This was the only appearance of the women’s handball team, while the men’s team continued achieving remarkable success. They went on to win first place at the 12th World Games for the Deaf in Malmö in 1973, the 13th in Bucharest in 1977, the 14th in Cologne in 1981, and the 15th in Los Angeles in 1985. At the 17th World Games for the Deaf in Sofia in 1993, the team won third place; at the 18th Games in Copenhagen in 1997, they won second. They went on to win first place at the 19th Deaflympics in Rome in 2001, the 20th in Melbourne in 2005, the 21st in Taipei in 2009, and the 22nd in Sofia in 2013. At the 23rd Deaflympics in Samsun in 2017, the team won third place, and in 2022, at the 24th Deaflympics in Caxias do Sul, they claimed the gold medal.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sporting events

On 7 January 2020, Chinese health authorities officially announced the discovery of a new strain of coronavirus. In order to coordinate all services in the Republic of Croatia in the event of the virus emerging within the country, the National Civil Protection Directorate of the Republic of Croatia was established on 20 February 2020. Just five days later, the first case of coronavirus was recorded in Croatia, prompting a series of decisions aimed at preventing the further spread of the virus. Thus, on 19 March 2020, a decision was made to suspend all sports competitions, as well as the operation of gyms, and sports, fitness and recreational centres. While from 4 May 2020 the use of outdoor sports grounds was permitted under the observance of anti-epidemic measures, from 27 October 2020 sports competitions were once again allowed to take place, but without spectators. As preparations were underway for the 12th European Deaf Handball Championship, which the Executive Committee of the European Deaf Sport Organisation (EDSO) had awarded to the town of Umag as host for 2021, the athletes had to adapt their training to the new circumstances. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the European Championship was relocated from Umag to Zagreb, which hosted such a championship for the very first time. Handball players Tomislav Bošnjak, Ivan Pajić, and Kristijan Živković spoke about their preparations for the 12th European Deaf Handball Championship during the coronavirus pandemic. https://sportski-muzej.hr/events/utjecaj-korona-krize-na-sportase

“The impact of the corona crisis on athletes”, Tomislav Bošnjak Zagreb, May 2020, video interview Hrvatski športski muzej (link)
“The impact of the corona crisis on athletes”, Ivan Pajić Zagreb, May 2020, video interview Hrvatski športski muzej, (link)
“The impact of the corona crisis on athletes”, Kristijan Živković Zagreb, May 2020, video interview Hrvatski športski muzej, (link)