Sinjska Alka to take place for 311th time on 9 August

(Photo credit: Office of the President of Croatia / Marko Beljan)

ZAGREB, 3 June – Croatian president Zoran Milanović received the leadership of the Viteško alkarsko društvo Sinj this week, where preparations for this year’s Sinjska Alka were discussed.

The the 311th Sinjska Alka will take place on 9 August in Sinj. President Milanović confirmed that he will continue his traditional patronage of the historic event.

According to Viteško alkarsko društvo president Stipe Jukić, preparations for this year’s event are proceeding as planned. He noted that training for the selected 30 participants has now begun.

The Sinjska Alka is one of Croatia’s most significant cultural and historical tournaments, commemorating the victory over the Ottoman army in 1715.

It symbolises the historical conflicts between Europe and the Ottoman Empire, as well as between Christianity and Islam.

The event involves horsemen, known as alkari, riding at full speed while attempting to strike a metal ring, the Alka, with their lances. The target consists of two concentric iron circles divided into three scoring sections, with the central ring worth three points, the upper section two points, and the lower sections one point each.

(Photo: Office of the President of Croatia/Tomislav Bušljeta)

Participation in the tournament is considered highly prestigious and is traditionally limited to men born in Sinj and surrounding villages. Competitors wear traditional costumes modelled on 18th-century warrior attire.

Since 2010, the Sinjska Alka has been inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List, recognising its cultural importance and long-standing tradition.