OGNJEN PREOST - WINNER OF 'SINJSKA ALKA' TOURNAMENT

( Editorial: --> 2729 ) SINJ, 9 Aug (Hina) - Ognjen Preost, a 29-year-old Croatian army officer from Sinj, is the winner of the 283rd "Sinjska Alka" tournament which ended Sunday. Defence Minister Andrija Hebrang, who was President Franjo Tudjman's envoy to the tournament, presented Preost with a golden ring with the Croatian coat-of-arms and a sabre - presents from the Croatian President. The "Sinjska Alka" is a traditional three-day tournament held every year in the Croatian town of Sinj, in the Split hinterland. The 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. More than 8,000 viewers attended the last day of the tournament today. (hina) rml 092028 MET aug 98