The first Croatian Cadet Open took place in Dakovo on 26 April 2009 under the supervision of Mr. Zeljko Vukovich, Head of the Croatian Grappling Committee, and Mr. Peter Mettler, FILA Referee Instructor from Switzerland. 110 athletes from 8 different teams (7 from Croatia and 1 from Bosnia & Herzegovina) participated in the tournament in the following age divisions: Kids 1 (5-9 years old), Kids 2 (10-11 years old), Novice (12-13 years old), Schoolboys/girls (14-15 years old), and Cadets (16-17 years old). The team tournament was won by the Grappling Club "Triangle" from Dakovo (Yogaka Grappling Team Croatia) that participated with 52 athletes and won 43 medals (16 gold, 18 silver, 9 bronze). "The level demonstrated by the young athletes was amazing! The nice throws, actions, and high submission rate left no doubt as per the outstanding work done in Croatia to promote grappling among the youth", said Peter Mettler. No injuries were reported at the end of the competition, thus showing that grappling is a very safe sport for children to compete in.  To learn more on the benefits of grappling for children, visit the British Grappling Committee's website at the following link.

Peter Mettler also used the opportunity of his visit to Dakovo to run a training camp to prepare the grapplers for the competition and to conduct a referees' course that certified 8 new FILA International Referees.