As the prime minister's envoy, Anušić attended the official send-off of the Croatian Olympic delegation to the Games and wished the athletes success, health, and luck in the competitions.
Anušić recalled the early days of Croatia's independence, saying that Croatian athletes, representatives of sports diplomacy, proudly represented Croatia in the world at that time, including tennis player Goran Ivanišević and other prominent athletes who carried the Croatian flag at the Olympic Games.
"Today, athletes are a brand of the Croatian state. You have done a lot for Croatia's international reputation during the gaining of independence, and you continue to do so in a dignified way today," the minister said.
He highlighted the global recognisability of Croatian sports and Croatia as a small country with excellent athletes. "You 73 represent Croatia in Paris, and by doing so, you have already achieved a tremendous success," he told the Olympians.
He added that he was particularly pleased that 23 Olympians were from the ranks of the Croatian Army and thanked them especially. "Alongside top Croatian athletes, the Croatian Army is the best that Croatia has."
Twenty-three Croatian Army contract reservists have qualified for the Paris Olympics: athletes Matea Parlov Koštro, Marija Tolj, and Filip Mihaljević; gymnast Tin Srbić; boxer Gabrijel Veočić; sailors Šime and Mihovil Fantela, Martin Dolenc, and Filip Jurišić; judokas Zdravko Kumrić and Barbara Matić; swimmer Nikola Miljenić; kayakers Anamarija Govorčinović and Matija Marinić; shooters Giovanni Cernogoraz, Petar Gorša, and Miran Maričić; taekwondoist Lena Stojković; and rowers Martin and Valent Sinković, Damir Martin, and Anton and Patrik Lončarić.
At today's send-off ceremony, members of the Croatian Olympic delegation signed the Fair Play Declaration, expressing their commitment and readiness to contribute to upholding the principles of the Olympic spirit through their performances and behaviour at the Paris Games, highlighting the values of sport for the benefit of all in the spirit of fair play, tolerance, non-violence, and respect.