Primorje-Gorski Kotar County

Primorje-Gorski Kotar County (Primorsko-goranska županija) is an administrative division in western Croatia, bordering Slovenia, with its seat in Rijeka and some 266,000 inhabitants according to the 2021 census. It is not a city but a territory of 14 towns and 22 municipalities that brings together three very different landscapes: the Bay of Kvarner and its coastline, with resorts such as Opatija, Crikvenica and Novi Vinodolski; the islands of Krk, Cres, Lošinj and Rab; and much of Gorski Kotar, a mountainous karst plateau averaging around 800 metres of altitude, 63% covered by forest, which has earned it the nickname 'green lungs of Croatia'. Rijeka, its capital, has the country's largest port, was European Capital of Culture in 2020 alongside Galway and hosts the biggest carnival in Croatia, while the 1,396-metre Učka range rises to the west of the city.

The county's sport has its great showcase in Rijeka: HNK Rijeka, Croatian league champions in 2016-17 and 2024-25 and seven-time winners of the Croatian Cup, is the flagship club, and its historic Kantrida stadium featured in 2011 on a CNN list of the world's most unusual stadiums. The city hosted the 2008 European Short Course Swimming Championships and was European City of Sport 2022. Inland, the Platak ski resort, at around 1,100 metres of altitude north of Rijeka, and the forests of Gorski Kotar add a mountain dimension to the territory's sport. In 2026 the county also celebrates the 150th anniversary of organised sporting activity in the area.

ACES Europe designated Primorje-Gorski Kotar County as European Region of Sport 2026, a decision announced in March 2025 after an on-site evaluation early that year. The bid, coordinated by the county's Department for Culture, Sport and Technical Culture, was prepared together with the county sports federation, the school sports federation, the parasports federation, the 'Sport for All' recreation association and the Goranski sports centre in Delnice. The county formally received the recognition in Brussels in December 2025, with a 2026 programme focused on making sport accessible to all ages, from children to older people. With this title it takes over from Istria, European Region of Sport 2025, and strengthens the Croatian representation in the ACES network.