The 295th Alka tournament in the southern Croatian town of Sinj starts on Monday with a competion in Bar.
A total of 17 contestants (alkars), selected by duke Ante Vucic, will compete for the title.
The "Sinjska Alka" is a traditional three-day tournament held every in Sinj. The tournament, in which lance-wielding horsemen dressed in traditional outfits match their skills as they target a metal ring suspended over a track, is held every year to mark a local victory over the Ottoman Turks in 1715.
The "Sinjska Alka" is apparently one of the last remaining, out of many other such rituals throughout the Central Europe.
