Kostelić is nominated by Minister of Science, Education, and Sport, and should be confirmed at the next Government cabinet meeting.
The position of the Deputy Minister for sport department of the Ministry of science, education and sport was the last one among high-ranking officials in the new government left vacant. On April 25, 2016, Jutarnji List published the unconfirmed news about Janica Kostelić's nomination for the position concerned.
Janica Kostelić has published a statement, confirming the news, saying that she agreed to take the position, as she feels obligated to give something back to the sport and her homeland Croatia. She considers sport to be an important part of society and crucial for the public health.
This decision by HDZ is not a big surprise, as there are allegations that one of their sponsors, Zdravko Mamić, had been consulted regarding this matter, so to avoid that, they needed to find somebody not connected with him in any way. And they did so, nominating one of the best Croatian athletes of all time, and surely the most popular one.
Janica Kostelić has won six Olympic medals, four golds, and two silvers; she was the world champion on five occasions and has won three World Cups. She left skiing at the age of 24, due to health problems, but it was enough for her to become the best Croatian athlete of all time.
As we have written quite a bit about this matter, all that is left is to welcome Ms. Kostelić and hope she will be as successful in politics as she was in sport. And what is probably more important; we wish her to be as independent and stubborn as she was as an athlete.
