In August 2024, the Water Sports Festival in Zagreb wasn’t just a sporting event — it was a declaration.

A declaration that grassroots sports clubs, when united across borders, can truly embody the European ideals of inclusion, equality, and cooperation.
And Finswimming Team Novi Jelkovec was proud to be at the heart of it.

Sport as a Common Language

Participants from Sweden, Malta, and Croatia met not as competitors, but as collaborators.
Through open-water sessions, finswimming clinics, and mixed-gender relays, we built understanding — without needing to speak the same language.

For many of the women and girls involved, this was their first international event. One swimmer from our club shared:

“I didn’t know what to expect, but I felt respected and welcomed. I didn’t feel judged — only encouraged.”

That’s sport diplomacy in action.

Inclusion in Practice

The festival prioritized inclusion from the very beginning — offering adaptive equipment, multilingual instructions, and group coaching tailored to all experience levels.
Coaches from different countries co-led sessions, modeling true cross-cultural teamwork.

Athletes of different ethnic backgrounds, abilities, and ages participated. For many, this visibility was transformative.

“I saw someone like me leading a session,” said one young participant. “Now I think maybe I can do that one day too.”

Building the Future, Together

The Water Sports Festival wasn’t just an event — it was a seed.
It showed that sport can be a platform for shared learning, peacebuilding, and mutual respect.

These are not abstract ideas.
They’re real, lived values.

Thanks to the WIN project, we’re building on that momentum — inviting new partners, expanding finswimming outreach, and continuing to show how sport connects people beyond flags and borders.