Novi Vinodolski completed FIT4NOVI with five days of sport, recreation and programs for all generations
Novi Vinodolski spent the last week of May in a distinctly sporting rhythm. Despite temperatures that approached summer values, the final stage of the FIT4NOVI event gathered a large number of participants, recreational athletes, children, athletes, associations and visitors. According to the organizers' report, from Tuesday, May 26, to Sunday, May 31, 2026, the program brought together tournaments, sports presentations, recreational training sessions, educational content, gastronomic offerings and entertainment. In this way, the event once again confirmed its recognizable role in the local sports calendar, but also its broader importance for promoting an active lifestyle in Novi Vinodolski. The official pages of the Town of Novi Vinodolski state that FIT4NOVI is an event launched by the Town in 2015 with the aim of promoting sport, recreation and healthy eating, with the regular involvement of sports and recreational associations from the town area.
From children's football to sailing in the harbor
The final week of this year's edition opened on Tuesday, May 26, with a children's football tournament organized by NK Vinodol. This immediately placed the emphasis on the youngest participants, which is one of the constant features of the event, which does not rely only on competitive sport, but also on creating the habit of movement from the earliest age. The program continued on Thursday with a workshop by Fijolica Kindergarten entitled "For a sporty beat, be wonderfully fit". According to the organizers' report, the Selce majorettes and the Sports Association of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County joined the kindergarten children in this part of the program, giving the children's program an additional educational and demonstration dimension. On the same day, a sailing presentation organized by JK Burin was held in the harbor, so the program was expanded to include a sport naturally connected with the coastal identity of Novi Vinodolski. Such a schedule shows that FIT4NOVI is not based on a single discipline, but on the idea of making different sports accessible to a wide circle of participants.
Handball Friday and an open recreation zone on the square
Friday, May 29, was dedicated to handball and group recreation. At the mini handball tournament for girls born in 2017, the RK Vinodol team won first place, while second and third place went to the RK Crikvenica and RK Omišalj teams. According to the organizers' report, the handball day was further marked by an exhibition match between the Murvica and Vinodol veteran women's teams, in which Murvica celebrated victory. Special attention was drawn by the visit of Katarina Ježić, a woman from Novi Vinodolski and Croatian handball national team player with four appearances at European championships. Her involvement gave the tournament additional symbolic value, especially for young female handball players who had the opportunity to see a sports career connected with their local environment. At the same time, Ivan Mažuranić Square was turned into an open recreational space, where Synergy Fit Sports Recreation led zumba, pilates and yoga vinyasa flow.
The official announcements of the FIT4NOVI finale emphasized precisely this combination of competitive and recreational content. According to the announcement by the Town of Novi Vinodolski, Friday was planned as a day in which the handball program on the small sports court was complemented by presentations of outdoor training sessions. Such a concept enables participation also for those who are not members of sports clubs, but want to join the program without competitive pressure. This is one of the more important differences between a classic sports tournament and an event of this type: FIT4NOVI simultaneously gives space to clubs, associations, recreational athletes and citizens who experience sport as part of everyday care for health. That is why Friday also showed that a sporting event can be successfully connected with the city's public space, without confining the program only to halls and courts.
Novi Trail and the chess tournament marked Saturday
Saturday, May 30, brought the most pronounced sporting highlight of the event. Novi Trail gathered numerous runners from Croatia and the region, and according to official information from the Run Croatia platform, the race was planned on two main routes, of 5 and 11.5 kilometers, along with children's races. The start and finish were in the center of Novi Vinodolski, while the routes led through the hinterland of Novi Vinodolski, an area that the organizers emphasize as an important part of the race's attractiveness. In its announcement, the Town of Novi Vinodolski stated that this was the third edition of the race and that Novi Trail is developing as an event that connects sporting challenge, nature and the city program. According to Run Croatia, the program included the gathering of participants, the start of the main races, the winners' announcement, children's races and an evening after run party. Such a format gives Novi Trail a broader character than the race itself, because the sporting part continues with socializing and a music program in the town.
On the same day, a chess tournament was also held which, according to the organizers' report, attracted 71 competitors. In the senior competition, first place was won by Goran Tomljanović from ŠK Velebit, second by Erik Haidinger from ŠK Crikvenica, and third by Siniša Dimitrijević. Among the cadets, the most successful was Lovro Medanić from AŠK Junior, second place went to Alan Katušić from ŠK Crikvenica, while third was won by Oskar Fajdetić from AŠK Junior. In the female cadet competition, Rita Matijević from ŠK Zrinski Frankopan celebrated victory, second was Alessia Stefan from ŠK Rijeka, and third Bojana Majnarić from ŠK Delnice. The chess part of the program showed that FIT4NOVI, within its sporting framework, also includes disciplines that require concentration, tactical thinking and patience, and not only physical endurance. Precisely this breadth of content is one of the reasons why the event can bring together different generations and different sporting interests.
The gastronomic program "The Power of a Bite" and the Zsa Zsa concert
Saturday's program did not end with sports competitions. In the evening hours, a concert by Zsa Zsa was held, giving the city center a musical conclusion to one of the most intensive days of the event. According to the announcement by the Town of Novi Vinodolski, the concert was conceived as a continuation of the sports program and part of the broader atmosphere of the FIT4NOVI finale. Alongside music, a special role was also played by the gastronomic program "The Power of a Bite". In it, Novi Vinodolski caterers prepared menus inspired by healthy eating and adapted to athletes, recreational athletes and visitors who wanted to round off the day with content beyond the competitions themselves. According to the organizers' report, the restaurants Admiral, Đir, Mirakul, the Nava pizzeria and the Hata tavern participated in the project.
The official announcement of the finale stated that special sports menus were planned as part of "The Power of a Bite", from vitamin-rich salads and soups to fish specialties and desserts. Such an addition gives the event an eno-gastro and tourist dimension, but without moving away from the basic theme of health and active living. The program continued on Sunday, when nutritionist Martina Linarić prepared healthy smoothies and gave visitors advice on balanced nutrition. In this way, nutrition was presented as an integral part of recreation, and not as a separate accompanying content. In the context of a destination that wants to present itself through nature, the sea, the hinterland and active holidays, such programs additionally connect sport, local gastronomy and everyday habits.
Sunday brought table tennis, a cycling ride and training sessions for all ages
The final day, Sunday, May 31, took place in the spirit of a diverse sports and recreational program. The day began with a doubles table tennis tournament that gathered 40 competitors. According to the organizers' report, first place was won by Milan Dmitrović and Dominik Salma, second place went to Zoran Škoro and Denis Vidović, while third was shared by the pairs Darko Šukunda and Robert Semion and Neno Šostarić and Vanja Pejić. The table tennis tournament continued the series of competitions that, during the finale, gathered both more experienced recreational athletes and competitors. In the morning part of the program, Donna-Louise Ugrinović presented recreational activities intended for people of the third age, while the youngest took part in a sports playroom. In this way, the finale of the event remained focused on all generations, from children to older participants.
Ida Mikulić, a former Survivor contestant, also joined the program and held a bodyweight training session for interested participants. This part of the program fit into the trend of training with one's own body weight, which, due to its simple execution, is accessible to a wide circle of recreational athletes. The morning was additionally marked by a cycling ride through the hinterland of Novi Vinodolski organized by BK Vinodol. According to the organizers' report, the ride started from Korzo hrvatskih branitelja and led to Luka Krmpotska, and the route was adapted to the slowest participants. In its announcement, the Town of Novi Vinodolski emphasized that the cycling ride through the hinterland offers participants a sporting challenge, but also viewpoints and scenery that are an important part of the experience. For visitors who plan to follow similar programs over several days, accommodation offers in Novi Vinodolski are also especially useful, particularly when morning sports content continues with an evening program.
The small-sided football tournament and humanitarian support for the Novi Korak association
The Sunday program concluded with the small-sided football tournament "Parts of the Town". According to the organizers' report, first place was won by the Prisika team, which outplayed the Putnika team in the final, while third place went to the Krasa team. Individual awards went to Antonio Buljat, named the tournament's best scorer, Emanuel Petrinić, best goalkeeper, and Marko Čorak, best player of the tournament. The small-sided football tournament gave the finale a local competitive charge, because in such formats sports tradition, neighborhood identity and the cheering of the audience are often connected. At the same time, it concluded a five-day series of programs that began with children's football and ended with another football event. Thus football, as the most widely participated-in sport, received a framework in which children's, recreational and competitive elements alternated.
The humanitarian note of this year's FIT4NOVI was once again provided by the Novi Korak association. At its stand, the association sold promotional caps and T-shirts, and according to the organizers' report, all collected funds will be directed to help children with developmental difficulties. Such a segment is important because it presents the event not only as a collection of sporting events, but also as a space of solidarity within the local community. The Tourist Board of the Town of Novi Vinodolski states in its description of the event that FIT4NOVI, through sport, socializing and recreation, encourages visitors and the town's residents to actively participate in sports programs and promote a healthy lifestyle. The inclusion of humanitarian content extends that message to social responsibility and support for families who need help the most. In practice, it is precisely such elements that often give local events more lasting value than the results themselves on sports fields.
An event that connects sport, health and the tourist offer
This year's edition of FIT4NOVI confirmed that it is a program that has, over the years, developed into a recognizable combination of sport, education, entertainment and destination promotion. The official pages of the Town of Novi Vinodolski state that the event gathers numerous sports and recreational associations and that it is held every year at the end of May. The Tourist Board of the Town of Novi Vinodolski emphasizes that the program includes outdoor activities, group training sessions, Nordic walking, tournaments, sports presentations, recreational and interpretive walks and cycling tours. Such a range shows that the finale is not an isolated weekend, but part of a broader month of activities that positions Novi Vinodolski as a destination for active holidays. During May, other content was also held, from Nordic walks and hiking tours to workshops and final tournaments. The final week therefore had the role of a culmination, and not of a standalone event without a preceding program.
The content of the event also corresponds to the increasingly pronounced interest in programs that connect recreation, time spent outdoors and local experience. In this sense, Novi Vinodolski uses the advantage of its position between the sea and the hinterland, because in the same program it can offer sailing, trail running, a cycling ride, training sessions on the square and content for children. In a tourism sense, such events can extend interest in the destination beyond the most intensive summer weeks. For the local community, they also have an additional function, because they activate clubs, associations, schools, kindergartens, caterers and volunteers. FIT4NOVI can therefore also be viewed as an example of an event in which sporting results are not the only measure of success. Participation, accessibility of content, inclusion of different age groups and creating the habit of spending free time actively are equally important.
After a sporting May comes the Sparkling Breakfast in Pavlomir
Although FIT4NOVI has officially ended, Novi Vinodolski continues with its events program at the beginning of June. The Tourist Board of the Town of Novi Vinodolski announced that on Saturday, June 6, 2026, the fourth edition of the Sparkling Breakfast in the Vineyard will be held at the Pavlomir Wine House. According to the Tourist Board's announcement, the program lasts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is organized in cooperation with the Pavlomir Wine House and the Vina Kvarnera association, within the framework of the Salon of Sparkling Wines Zagreb project. It has been announced that visitors will be able to enjoy Kvarner sparkling wines, local savory and sweet delicacies, jazz music and additional program content in the vineyard. According to available information published in the event announcement, participation is possible with a previously purchased ticket priced at 40 euros.
The continuation of the program in Pavlomir shows that after a sporting May, the town calendar naturally shifts toward eno-gastro content, while still remaining connected with time spent outdoors and the experience of the space. In just a few days, Novi Vinodolski thus moves from the finale of an event that promotes recreation and healthy habits to an event that emphasizes local products, the vineyard setting and the Kvarner wine scene. Such a sequence of events is important for the destination because it offers different audiences different reasons to come, while giving local stakeholders the opportunity to connect sport, tourism, hospitality and cultural-entertainment programming. FIT4NOVI, according to everything shown in this year's edition, has retained its basic message: sport and movement can be competition, recreation, socializing, education and promotion of the town at the same time.
Sources:
- Town of Novi Vinodolski – announcement of the FIT4NOVI finale from May 26 to 31, 2026 (link)
- Town of Novi Vinodolski – announcement of the FIT4NOVI 2026 program and context of May activities (link)
- Town of Novi Vinodolski – information on the launch of the FIT4NOVI event and program goals (link)
- Tourist Board of the Town of Novi Vinodolski – description of the FIT4NOVI event and its sports content (link)
- Run Croatia – official information on the Novi Trail 2026 race, routes, time of holding and organizers (link)
- Tourist Board of the Town of Novi Vinodolski – announcement of the Sparkling Breakfast in the Vineyard at the Pavlomir Wine House on June 6, 2026 (link)