'SINJSKA ALKA' TOURNAMENT STARTS

( Editorial: --> 2449 ) SINJ, 7 Aug (Hina) - Josko Maric is the winner of the first day of the 283rd "Sinjska Alka" tournament, which started on Friday in Sinj, an inland town in southern Croatia. The three-day tournament, in which lance-wielding horsemen dressed in traditional outfits match their skills as they target a metal ring suspended over a track, is held every year to mark a local victory over the Ottoman Turks in 1715. The "Sinjska Alka" is apparently one of the last remaining, out of many other such rituals throughout the Central Europe. The tournament continues tomorrow and finishes on Sunday, when "Alka" competitors are to compete for the title of the winner of the whole tournament. The event is held under the auspices of Croatian President Franjo Tudjman. (hina) rml/mbr 072023 MET aug 98