About 1.6% of Croatia's GDP comes from the sport industry, and for one euro invested through sports competitions, four euros can be earned, a conference organised by Vecernji List daily, titled "Sport - A Great Opportunity for the Croatian Economy", heard this past Tuesday.

Tourism and Sports Minister Nikolina Brnjac said that sport is extremely important for the Croatian economy, which the state has also recognised with funds from the state budget.

She said that in 2016 €23 million from the state budget had been allocated for sport, while today the funds amounted to around €80 million.

“We have provided funds for sport and sports infrastructure for the first time through the National Recovery and Resilience Programme and through the multiannual financial framework. The government also supports large sporting events, and this year we hosted the WRC rally, which the government supported with about €3.2 million. We also recognised the Cro Race, the European Wrestling Championship, and numerous other events,” said Brnjac.

She said that investing in sports infrastructure was also important, as it had to be available to children, young people, and top athletes.

The president of the Croatian Olympic Committee, Zlatko Matesa, believes that Croatia earns well from the sports industry since, he said, according to Eurostat data, around 1.6% of its GDP comes directly from the sports industry.

He underscored that the government had recognised the synergy of tourism and sport by forming the Ministry of Tourism and Sport.

A number of regulations have been passed that guarantee the development of sport in the future, said Matesa.

The President of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK), Luka Burilovic, also pointed out that sport is an indispensable part of the economy, which accounts for 4.3% of total employment.