Sport in Croatia to some extent table tennis and chess. Various amateur sport games are popular in Croatia, notably picigin. Franjo Bučar (1866–1946) is widely considered to be the father of modern Croatian sport. He founded the Croatian Sports Federation in 1909 within what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Bučar introduced a multitude of mainstream sports in Croatia, such as football, alpine skiing, ice skating and ice hockey, as well as gymnastics and fencing. The Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport, the Republic of Croatia's highest award in the development of sport, is named in his honor. With the exception of the years
Minister for Sport (Australia) Minister for Sport (Australia) The Australian Minister for Sport is Senator the Hon. Bridget McKenzie, since 20 December 2017. In the Government of Australia, the minister administers the portfolio through the Department of Health. It was not until the Whitlam Government established the Department of Tourism and Recreation in 1972 that an Australian Government department had specific responsibility for sport. Previously the small amount of sport funding was distributed through ministries such as Health and Foreign Affairs. Frank Stewart, who is regarded as the first minister for sport, commissioned two reports – "The role and scope and development of recreation