SPORTS LEGENDS, RENOWNED NAMES AND A FASHION SHOW IN ZADAR
Zadar, June 7, 2025 – The fourth edition of the Sunset Sports Festival successfully concluded with the first festival fashion show, after three days filled with exclusive CBS filming, inspiring lectures, panels and networking. The festival once again proved why it is recognized on a global level, bringing together world sports stars, top scientists and business leaders who shared the latest insights from their industries and discussed topics shaping the future of sports, technology and media in a relaxed atmosphere.
The final day of the festival featured performances by globally renowned speakers including Stipe Miočić, Blanka Vlašić, Mirela Kardašević, Zlatko Mateša, Oliver Lušić, Mark Bennett, Chris Barnes, Paul Biondich, and many other renowned names. Before the official closing, visitors had the opportunity to see a fashion show by designer and artist Diana Al Shammari, who is behind some of the most sought-after football jerseys today. Known as The Football Gal, she redefined what it means to wear your team on your sleeve using a precise embroidery technique that transforms football jerseys into collectible works of art.
From Octagon to Digital Arenas: Stories That Bring Change
In this exclusive behind-the-scenes look at a different kind of fight, one for recognition and influence, Stipe Miočić and VaynerSports Marketing Director Hayley Cohen reveal how to build a personal brand as powerful as his right hook. With CBS’s Nico Cantor as moderator, viewers get the inside scoop on smart collaborations, meaningful stories, and why authenticity still wins – even in a world built on scrolling and swiping. Celebrated Croatian athlete-turned-entrepreneur Blanka Vlašić spoke with HRT sports commentator and editor Marko Šapit about her journey from the biggest sports stages to founding MVPiz, a Croatian sports startup that makes free sports content available to children and families around the world and creates systems that give sports a whole new perspective. The How Far Is Too Far? panel brought together Matija Škerbić, assistant professor of ethics and philosophy and president of the European Society for the Philosophy of Sport at the University of Zagreb, Jurica Barać, president of the Highlander company, and Thomas Weirather, partnership development manager at WPP, and was moderated by Arena Sport host Kristina Tomić. The discussion focused on the limits of modern society, including physical and mental challenges. A special focus was on extreme sports and their popularity among young people, as well as the impact of digital presence in everyday relationships, and Matija Škerbić emphasized the importance of returning to the foundations of sports values: authenticity, togetherness, and physical activity as a counterbalance to digital addiction. The Hold Your Breath panel brought a conversation with top world record holders in freediving, Valentina Cafolla and Mirela Kardašević, who spoke about the mental strength, training, and determination needed to push the boundaries of human endurance. “I see failure as a blessing. It’s a lesson; you have to learn from your mistakes, become aware of them and learn from them,” concluded Mirela Kardašević. Long-time president of the Croatian Olympic Committee Zlatko Mateša, in a conversation with Marko Šapit, shared his views on the importance of sport for national identity, the responsibility that comes with success, and the legacy and vision that transcend the moment, inspiring future generations. The Influencer Behind the Influencers panel offered an exclusive insight into the world of digital superstars through the story of Mark Bennett of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the man behind the careers of KSI and IShowSpeed, in which he revealed to the audience what it looks like to strategically manage the most famous names in digital culture.
From data to success: a new era of athlete development
Through a series of highly expert lectures on the Sunset Performance Lab stage, prominent international experts in the fields of soccer, nutrition science and sports analytics shared insights on how to optimize every aspect of athlete development. In the lecture Unlocking Athlete Potential: Talent ID, Development, and Health Through Advanced Sports Analytics, AWS sports data and strategy expert Rafael de los Santos Navarro spoke about the importance of timely data collection and use in sports. He pointed out that the analysis cannot be universal because no two matches are the same, which requires a flexible and contextual approach. Through concrete examples, he explained how data is collected from four main sources (cameras, sensors, external platforms and scouting reports) and how it is all integrated into current decisions. “The value is in speed and customization, not in the amount of data,” he concluded. In his lecture Using Data to Inform Decision Making in a Football Environment, football scientist with extensive experience from the Premier League, Chris Barnes, analyzed in detail the ways in which data can become a key tool in the daily decision-making of coaches, and through concrete examples he showed that data is not for its own sake, but as a driver of dialogue and mutual understanding. In the lecture How to Maximize Repair, Recovery and Growth using High Performance Sports Nutrition, top sports nutritionist Paul Biondich revealed a number of advanced strategies for optimizing recovery, growth and performance in athletes. Associate professor at the University of Notre Dame, Martin Barron, in the lecture From Data to Victory: How Football Coaches Leverage Sports Analytics Platforms brought the audience closer to how platforms like Ultrax transform coaching decision-making from reactive to proactive; using smart algorithms and historical data, it is possible to personalize training and predict the risk of injury weeks in advance.
The largest sports-business event in the region has once again pushed the boundaries, and you can find all the details about the Sunset Sports Festival on the official festival website and via the FB and IG profiles.
