HaBaWaBa 2026: Ema and Francesco are the Golden Babies!

If you know how to swim and want to play, it’s never too early to join HaBaWaBa. This is the message behind the Golden Girl and Golden Boy, the awards that the HaBaWaBa International Festival presents to the youngest players of the event.

The 2026 Golden Girl is Ema Zukic, a young champion from KPK — the historic Croatian club from the island of Korčula that has produced a great number of talents — led this year in Lignano by coach Frano Radovanovic. Ema was born on November 14, 2018, and started playing a year ago. She also practices swimming at her club, “but I like waterpolo more”, she says. The reason? “Being together with my friends”. And, like any good wing, after teamwork there is only one thing that matters: "Scoring goals!”.

The 2026 Golden Boy, on the other hand, is Italian and even younger: his name is Francesco Bai, born on March 8, 2019. He lives in Levate, in the province of Bergamo, and plays for the Nanetti of Onda Blu Dalmine, a club from Lombardia that is a constant presence at the HaBaWaBa International Festival. Francesco is a modern goalkeeper, perfect for contemporary waterpolo: “Every now and then I play in attack, but I like being in the cage”, he tells us. He started playing a year ago, diving into the pool and immediately grabbing the ball. Despite being highly energetic — to put it mildly — Francesco is behaving like a true athlete at HaBaWaBa: “He is the most disciplined of the team”, says coach Gabriella Roberti. With one single exception: “I like playing pranks on my teammates”, the little goalkeeper confesses. And rightly so — otherwise, what's the fun in being part of a team?

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